LA PLUME, P.A. — The Lakers stay undefeated as they routed Keystone College 5-1. 13 seconds into the contest Senior Kacie Simzer scored the first goal of the game for the Lakers with Kaitlyn Ahle assisting. The Lakers were tested early as they faced a situation that they have not been in all year which was a team scoring a goal, effectively ending their four game streak of not allowing a single goal. It took the Lakers only one minute and 11 seconds to score another goal as Simzer scored her second of the game. The rest of the second quarter was a defensive battle where both Oswego and Keystone combined for three penalty corner kicks and four goals. Goalie Erica Scheblein was given her first test of the year and she was ready for the challenge. After giving up a goal early in the game, Scheblein had blocked five shots from the 36:08 to the 43:21 mark. She finished the game with nine total saves, which is almost half of her season’s total. Oswego adjusted in every quarter of the game as within one minute and 20 seconds of the second half beginning Kailtyn Mastracco scored for the Lakers off of a penalty shot.
After Keystone changed goalies during the fourth quarter, Simzer tested if their new goalie was up to the task. Simzer tied the all-time record for goals in a game for the Lakers as she finished the day with four goals. Oswego finished the day with 21 shots on goal. Throughout the game, the Lakers took advantage of Keystone penalties as they had ten penalty corner kicks.
This marks the first time the Lakers have started 5-0 since the 2016-2017 season. The Lakers travel north to take on the St. Lawrence Saints on Saturday, September 17th at 1:00 PM at North Country Field.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS.
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Men’s basketball finishes the season with two wins
OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team finished their season this past weekend. Having already clinched the first seed for the SUNYAC tournament, these games were just momentum builders for the tournament. The Lakers were set to play the Brockport Golden Eagles and Fredonia Blue Devils, both games at home.
Friday night’s game against Brockport started close, 8-7 after five minutes. Then Oswego found their rhythm, a 13-0 run saw the lead jump to 21-8 with thirteen minutes left in the half. Jamal Achille made it a twenty point lead with just under four minutes remaining, 39-19. The Lakers biggest lead in the half was twenty-four with fifty seconds remaining, and by the end of the half Brockport closed the lead slightly to 49-29. The Golden Eagles attempted to bring it back multiple times in the second half, but Oswego always answered. Brockport got the deficit to seventeen with just under fourteen minutes left, and the smallest gap in the second half, fifteen, with nine and a half to go in the game. Oswego reached eighty points with three minutes to go in the game on an Ahkee Anderson free throw, and from there the reserves checked in to finish the game. Oswego scored three more times after Anderson‘s free throws and won the game 87-63. Five Lakers found double digit scoring in the game, Ahkee Anderson (16), Jamal Achille (16), Devin Green (13), Julien Crittendon (12), and Christian Simmons (11). Green also added ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
The final game of the season was against the Fredonia Blue Devils. Before the game stared the Lakers recognized their seven seniors, Brendon Mulson, Christian Simmons, Eric Sanfilippo, Jordan Brown, Hunter Cole, Julien Crittendon, Louis Fedullo. Simmons, Sanfilippo, Cole, Crittendon, and Fedullo were the starters for the game, while Mulson and Brown were the first two off the bench. Christian Simmons stole the show early, he hit two three and had two layups for the Lakers first ten points while the Blue Devils only had six just three minutes into the game. An 11-0 Lakers run behind four from Jordan Brown and Jeremiah Sparks saw the lead get to 21-6 with thirteen to go in the half. Oswego kept pushing the gap with the lead 27-10 after a Kaleb Cook layup with ten to go in the frame. Just under the seven minute mark was when Oswego reached the forty point mark on a Julien Crittendon three, and the lead was twenty-five. Another nine from the Lakers and ten from the Blue Devils before the end of the half saw both teams head to the locker rooms, Oswego up 49-25. Simmons started the second half exactly where he started the first, he had twelve points in the first five minutes of the half, and Oswego’s advantage ballooned to thirty-four, 67-33. Oswego reached eighty on an Ahkee Anderson jumper with eleven and a half to go. The biggest play of the game came with nine minutes remaining, Jordan Brown tipped a three point attempt by Fredonia’s Aaron Collins, Jamal Achille grabbed the ball and threw it up court to a wide open Brown who slammed it down with one hand to extend the lead to 84-37. With seven to go, the Lakers reserves checked in to finish the regular season. They got Oswego over the century mark for the fourth time this season and second time this month and Oswego walked away victorious in their final game, 104-55. Christian Simmons led the Lakers with his season high twenty-four points. Two other Lakers went were over ten, Julien Crittendon (12) and Jeremiah Sparks (11). Sixteen Lakers found the score sheet.
Oswego finished the season with a record of 23-2 (17-1 SUNYAC). They hold the first seed in the conference and will host both semi-final matchups and the finals for the SUNYAC tournament starting Friday. WTOP10 will have coverage of all games played on Oswego’s campus.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DIANA VITALE, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
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Men’s Hockey opens preseason with win
OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Oswego State men’s hockey team took to home ice for the first time since they beat SUNY Cortland in the SUNYAC semi-final last season. A preseason matchup against the Stevenson Mustangs was an opportunity for both teams to get their legs underneath them before they start regular season play in two weeks time.
The first period saw senior Eric Green get the start in goal for the Lakers. Both sides would get shots off on net, but it would be the Mustangs who struck first in the game. Liam McCanney would send one five hole and into the back of the net for the first goal of the season with just under 11 minutes remaining. The Lakers would quickly answer though. A pass from Quinn Warmuth toward the slot, would be deflected in by Tyler Flack for the Lakers first goal with just over nine to go in the period.
The second period was a goalie battle. The Lakers would switch goalies, junior Richie Parent becoming the Lakers net minder in the second period. Parent made a few excellent saves, and showed off his stick handling abilities as a goalie. Stevenson made their goalie change halfway through the second period. All three goalies that played in the period didn’t allow a goal, and the sides went into the second intermission still tied at one.
In the third period, the Lakers gave their third goalie on the roster, new freshman recruit Cal Schell, his first opportunity wearing the green in gold on the ice. Just as Richie Parent had in the second period, he didn’t allow the Mustangs to get one past him, but the Lakers got themselves the lead. Their second goal came less than three minutes in. Coming off a faceoff, a pass went back to Quinn Warmuth in also the same spot as last time by the blue line. He again threw it into the slot, and the puck would go off the skate of Conor Smart and into the back of the net. Oswego’s final goal would come late in the third. Just as Stevenson was pulling their goalie to have a 6-5 and try and tie the game, the Lakers would have a two-on-one opportunity. New transfer Thomas Rocco would pass the puck behind the lone defender to Tyler Flack who just tapped it into the empty net for the game sealing third and final goal.
The Lakers walked away with a victory 3-1 showing good promise before the challenging season ahead. They will play one final preseason game before the start of regular season play. A matchup with Carelton Place of the CCHL on Saturday October, 22 in the Deborah F. Stanley Ice Arena.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE QUIACHON, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
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Lakers men’s basketball wins SUNYAC tournament for 2nd straight year
OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Lakers had a big past weekend as they hosted the SUNYAC tournament on Friday and Saturday afternoon. The Lakers first started their tournament hosting the number five seeded New Paltz Hawks Friday afternoon for the SUNYAC Semifinal match. Early on Oswego struggled to connect on their shots and the game stayed tight as both teams went back and forth in the first seven minutes of play. The Hawks started gaining momentum around the 12 minute mark which forced Coach Leone to take a timeout trailing 12-15. Defense was the key of the first half, as both teams struggled to put the ball in the net. The Lakers forced five turnovers on defense, while holding the Hawks to just 35% from the field. Oswego dominated the glass with 10 offensive rebounds in one half. Despite the struggle from the field, the Lakers would take a two point lead going into halftime, leading 27-25. Cartier Bowman and Jeremiah Sparks both went into the half with 8 points.
After nothing was going for Oswego in the first half they were desperately looking for answers. That answer was Devin Green who hit three of his six three point attempts in the first eleven minutes of the half bringing the lead to 49-44. Jeremiah Sparks connected on two straight baskets extending the Lakers lead to nine with just five minutes remaining in the game. Green continued to put the team on his back and connected on his fifth three of the second half with just under 2 minutes to seal the game. The Lakers ended up holding on with a 73-68 win to move to the championship game. Four Lakers recorded double digit points that evening Sparks had 21,Green had 17, Bowman had 13 and Cook had 12. The Lakers advance to their second consecutive SUNYAC title game with a five point win over the Hawks and would face SUNY Brockport on Saturday evening for a chance at the SUNYAC championship.
The Lakers returned Saturday to the Max Ziel to try to win back to back games against the Brockport Golden Eagles. The first half went the way the Lakers wanted as the Lakers defense forced 12 turnovers against the Golden Eagles and the Lakers led 46-33 at half. Ahkee Anderson went 6-7 from the field, including a three pointer in his hot start with14 points in the first half.
The second half started out the same for both teams with Brockport starting to slowly creep back into the game. Brockport cut the lead to six with just over ten minutes remaining taking over the full momentum in the half. Both teams then continued to score back and forth, with Oswego maintaining the six point lead over the next eight minutes. With less than two minutes remaining, Ahkee Anderson continuing his big game hit a big jumper from the right baseline to give Oswego a 69-61 lead forcing Brockport to call timeout. After Brockport failed to score at the other end coming out of the timeout, the Lakers took advantage with a long offensive possession with an offensive rebound turning into a slick Jeremiah Sparks step back mid-range jumper to seal the SUNYAC. Oswego would continue their 21 game win streak with 74-63 win. Oswego wins their second straight SUNYAC Championship in a row marking Coach Leone’s sixth SUNYAC Championship in 11 years.
Three Lakers were honored in the trophy celebration and as a part of the SUNYAC Team: Devin Green, Jeremiah Sparks and Cartier Bowman who won the SUNYAC Tournament MVP with a 15-point 13-rebound double-double.
The Lakers are now 25-2(17-1) and will now host a NCAA pod on March 3rd and 4th. They will play Marymount (VA) in the round of 64 at 5:45. John Carroll and Albertus Magnus will be playing the Neutral game.
IMAGE COURTESY OF ERIN BLANK, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
