OSWEGO, NY — Women’s Hockey continues NEWHL game play Wednesday night as the Lakers welcome in the #1 Plattsburgh Cardinals. The Cardinals sit at 14-1 and are currently undefeated in conference play as the Lakers trail only 7 points back in second place. Plattsburgh is coming off two NEWHL wins at home after defeating Morrisville and Buffalo State by pretty hefty margins. The goalie tandem of Chloe Beaubien and Ashley Davis only allowed one goal that weekend as Davis posted a shutout against Buffalo State.
Oswego recently had their own NEWHL success after posting a victory in their first conference game in over a month. A 4-3 win in Morrisville allowed Oswego to enlarge their gaps between Cortland and the Mustangs to secure their position in second. Senior Eryn Stewart came up big for Oswego, as she contributed with a goal and an assist in the contest. The forward currently sits with 5 goals and 12 assists good for 17 points through 13 games played.
Last time these teams battled was back towards the start of the season as Oswego traveled to the Cardinals for a Friday and Saturday match up. The Lakers would fall 1-7 and 0-3 that weekend with the lone Oswego goal coming from Avery Webster to spoil the shutout. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. from the Marano Campus Center.
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Oswego Women’s Hockey Preview versus Amherst Mammoths
OSWEGO — The last hockey game taking place in the Marano Campus Center this semester is set to feature the Women’s hockey team, who recently beat the Canton Roos. The Lakers were victorious in Canton Friday night as their NEWHL matchup finished 2-1. Freshman Mia Conboy tallied the game winner in the second period to put the group on a four game win streak, which may stabilize them in second place in the conference. Before heading into winter break, the Lakers welcome Amherst College, a small college located in Massachusetts. The last time this NESCAC team traveled to Oswego was in 2012, however the Lakers beat the Mammoths on the road in 2018. If the Lakers obtain the win tomorrow, the team will head into break on a five game win streak that would be the first since the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign. The 3 p.m. puck drop is set to be the annual Teddy Bear toss along with Girl’s Hockey Day. WTOP 10 has you covered with coverage starting at 2:30 p.m.
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SUNYAC announces return of Spring Sports
OSWEGO, NY — Tuesday afternoon, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced that the SUNYAC conference will be returning on March 20th with spring sports. The sports of baseball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track & field will all return as all of their seasons were cancelled last year when the COVID-19 pandemic begun.
The conference will be split into east and west divisions to limit travel and cost expenditures. The divisions will be based on geographic location with Interstate-81 being used to split New York state in two. For the sports of Women’s lacrosse and softball, two five team divisions will be used. Since Fredonia and Buffalo State do not sponsor men’s lacrosse programs, Cortland will compete in the west division and there will only be four teams per division. Lastly, women’s tennis will be without Buffalo State and Potsdam due to their lack of teams.
The other details that were announced yesterday regarding this decision revolve around logistical aspects of this season. Masks will be warn at all time except during the heat of the competition. No spectators will be allowed to watch games in person due to current New York State Department of Health guidelines. There will be regular weekly testing through each campus for athletes and team officials. Along with that, athletes will be tested three days prior to road trips. On those trips, no eating will be allowed on the buses and capacity must be reduced to 50 percent. During the game, there should be no handshakes and group celebrations.
SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo stated that there will be more guidelines announced later along with schedules for every team and school. As of right now, the season will be opened with two women’s lacrosse match ups as Cortland plays Plattsburgh and Potsdam travels to Oneonta. WTOP 10 will continue to deliver news regarding SUNYAC spring sports in the future.
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Lakers Fly Past Cardinals in SUNYAC Tournament Berth
For the 19th straight season, the Oswego State Lakers have clinched the SUNYAC Tournament and what a better way to do it than on Valentine’s day. The Lakers defeated the Cardinals on Friday night during their six point victory thanks to a combined, 43 point effort from seniors Brandon Gartland and Joe Sullivan.
Plattsburgh kept it close throughout the first half while using their best rendition of ‘Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better’. Each time the Lakers grabbed a bucket on one end, the Cardinals always had an answer. Oswego held the lead by four points or less through the first ten minutes of the contest but three minutes later, with an already shallow selection on the bench, Plattsburgh Head Coach Mike Blaine had some decision making to do following the injury of Forward Jeremy Eisenmen. Eisenmen went down hard after crashing the boards and was clutching his left knee. He was able to put pressure on it but would not return to the game.
In his absence, Matt Bernhard, a 5’10” stud off the bench, executed a perfect first half of shooting off the bench. Aside from his one missed free throw, he shot 3-3 from distance and 4-4 from the field ending with 12 of the Cardinals 34 points at halftime.
Brandon Gartland shot five for eight from behind the arc in the first half, good enough to lead the book with 15 points at the break. Joe Sullivan was a vital part of the first half for the Lakers tallying nine free throw attempts and sinking five of them. Sullivan struggled to find his rhythm early on but that would change going into the second half.
General Joe flipped the switch coming out of the locker room scoring 12 of his 21 in the second frame. Sullivan shot 5-13 in the second half and ended with 8 rebounds and 8 assists to add onto his impressive scoring performance. Coach Leone was happy with his big man’s performance.
“Joe plays hard every night,” Leone said. “He’s a senior and he is doing what we would hope seniors do at this point in their senior season. I’m really pleased with the things he did tonight. He deserves it.”
However, Gartland went in the opposite direction having a rather quiet second half. He scored just seven points adding his total to 22 without a single three pointer in after the break. “They were sticking a little tighter to me,” Gartland expressed. “Other people were making plays and we were still scoring.” For what he lacked on the offensive end, he made up for on the defensive end with four steals and a couple big time stops down the stretch.
Plattsburgh got into some foul trouble five minutes into the second half when Erik Salo was charged with his fourth personal. Now with Eisenmen injured and Salo playing restricted and cautious minutes, the only other options off the bench were Marlon Todd and freshman Lamont Hough Jr. who never saw the floor.
With six to go, the Lakers turned on the after-burners going on an 8-2 run in a minute and 28 seconds taking a 69-61 lead with 4:05 remaining. The Cardinals never came back from this lead, falling short to the Lakers 75-69. It came down to protecting the ball tonight and Plattsburgh was not proficient in that category. Averaging 15 turnovers a game, Coach Blaine’s Cardinals exceeded that margin with 16 and 11 of those turnovers came in the second half.
Coach Jason Leone was excited about clinching the SUNYAC tournament for the ninth time in his nine years as the head coach of Oswego State but recognized that there was still work to do following Friday night. “We’re in the playoffs,” Leone expressed. “So now we are in a battle to try and get a home game. Every game has a significant meaning from here on out.” With Potsdam traveling to Laker hall at 4:00 pm for the second game of the back to back, the Lakers have a win under their belt and look to continue their winning ways after Improving to 16-5 on the year.
