Oswego is in the NCAA's

The Oswego State Lakers will be playing for the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championships as they will be hosting a quarterfinals matchup on Saturday night March 12th at the Campus Center Ice Arena on the campus of SUNY Oswego.

The NCAA released that "Seven conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining four teams were selected at-large by the committee. The championship playoff format involves three first-round games and four quarterfinal games that are played on the campuses of the participating institutions. All games in the championship are single elimination. The four quarterfinal winners advance to Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Ridder Arena for the semifinals and championship game, which will be conducted March 25-26. The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association will host the championship".

Conference	School
ECAC DIII Men’s East Hockey League	Norwich University (20-5-3)
ECAC DIII Northeast Hockey League	Curry (16-8-3)
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association	Adrian (23-3-1)
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Hamline University (16-6-5)
New England Small College Athletic Conference	Bowdoin College (17-7-1)
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association	St. Norbert (22-4-1)
State University of New York Athletic Conference	Plattsburgh State  (20-7-1)

Elmira College, Neumann College, State University of New York at Oswego and University Wisconsin, Superior, enter the field as the four at-large selections.

Oswego will await the winner of the Bowdoin/Neumann matchup. Plattsburgh will play either Norwich/Curry on Saturday as well. The other play in game on Wednesday night will feature Wis-Superior/Hamline. 

Oswego Has Up and Down Saturday on the Ice

Saturday was an up and down day on the ice for the Oswego State Lakers. The two hockey programs were on the ice at the same time, but one team was in Oswego and the other was about 82 miles down the road in Henrietta, NY.

The Oswego State Lakers Women's Hockey team traveled to the Frank Ritter Memorial Arena on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Lakers defeated the Tigers by the score of 2-1, handing RIT its first loss of the season. Mackenzie Lee and Olivia Boersen scored for the green and gold while Batavia native Katie Stack scored the lone talley for RIT.  Laker netminder Emi Williams was outstanding again as she made 46 saves for the win over the number one ranked team in the country for D-III Women's Ice Hockey. The women return to the ice on Tuesday February 22nd at 3:00 pm as they take on Castelton State at the Campus Center Ice Arena

While back in Oswego, the number one ranked team in the country for D-III Men's Hockey were set to take care of business against the "little ponies that could", Morrisville Mustangs. However, the Lakers were simply outworked Saturday night as they returned home for the first time in a month, dropping a 5-2 decision to Morrisville. Taylor Vince and Bobby Cass scored the first 2 goals of the game at the 5:45 and 12:03 marks of the 1st period, respectively. Paul Rodrigues would score late in the period to get Oswego on the board. Tyler Swan, who scored twice in the last head-to-head matchup back in November, made it 3-1 as he trickled one past Beckwith following a 5 minute penalty kill by Oswego for a Dan Bremner hit from behind.  Jamie Nelson made it 4-1 just 1:11 into the 3rd period and although Justin Fox scored his first goal in 2 months and the Lakers had several powerplay opportunities, Oswego could not rally. Jame Jarvis would add the Mustangs' 5th goal at 12:02. The Lakers are next in action Friday as they play host to the Brockport Golden Eagles.

Oswego Drops First Game vs #1 RIT

ROCHESTER, NY - Kolbee McCrea (Wawa, Ontario/Burlington Barracudas) and Sarah Dagg (St. George, Ontario/Hamilton Hawks) scored third period goals to break a 1-1 tie and lift the No. 1 RIT women’s hockey team (21-0-2, 14-0-2 ECAC West) to a 3-1 win over SUNY Oswego (11-9-3, 7-7-3 ECAC West) at Ritter Arena on Friday afternoon. The Tigers are now unbeaten in 23 straight games.

McCrea broke a 1-1 tie with 9:29 left in regulation, taking a perfect feed from Dagg on the power-play and slamming a shot past Oswego goaltender Emil Williams into a wide open net for her team-best 17th goal of the season. Kristina Moss (Webster, NY/Buffalo Bisons) also assisted on the goal.

Dagg gave RIT a 3-1 lead with 3:42 left, after Kim Schlattman (Stratford, Ontario/Cambridge Fury) caused a turnover at the Oswego blue-line. The puck caromed to Ariane Yokoyama (Van Nuys, CA/LA Selects), who feathered a perfect pass to Dagg on a 2-on-1. From in tight, Dagg roofed a shot under the crossbar and past a sliding Williams for her 15th goal of the season.

With the two points, Dagg now has 148 for her career, five shy of the school record. She leads the squad with 36 points (15-21-36) this season.The Tigers out-shot Oswego, 37-20. RIT was 2-for-5 with the power-play, while keeping Oswego scoreless on five power-play attempts. The Tigers have now killed off 67 of their last 68 attempts while shorthanded.

Kourtney Kunichika (Fullerton, CA/LA Selects) also scored for the Tigers. Moss tallied two assists.
Freshman goaltender Laura Chamberlain (Norco, CA/LA Selects) was strong in net for RIT, stopping 19 shots to improve to 14-0-2 this season.

Jillian Bergeron scored for Oswego, just 29 seconds into the game. Williams stopped 34 shots in defeat.
The Lakers stunned the Ritter Arena crowd, scoring just 29 seconds into the contest, as Bergeron stuffed in a loose puck after Chamberlain made two stops on Mackenzie Lee in tight. RIT gave the puck up behind its own net, and was unable to clear the crease.

RIT answered right back at the 8:53 mark, on the power-play, as Kunichika came out from the side boards, went to the front of the net and slid a shot between the legs of Williams for her seventh goal of the year. Moss and Katie Stack (Batavia, NY/Rochester Edge) also assisted on the goal.

Chamberlain made a two huge saves on Megan Howe late in the period, as Howe came in on a breakaway. Howe tried to go over the blocker, but Chamberlain made a great save, and was able to dive and rob Howe on the rebound attempt.

Neither team scored in a tight, defensive, second period.  RIT held the puck in for the full two minute power-play midway through the frame and had five good chances, but could not get the puck past Williams. Kunichika nearly had RIT’s second goal of the afternoon, looking to have an open net after a shot caromed off the back boards, but Williams dove back to make a sensational save, keeping the game tied at 1-1. Chamberlain made a big save on Lee late in the period, sliding across to keep the puck out after Lee went around a Tiger defenseman.

The Tigers have now out-scored its opponents, 126-19 this season. They have allowed one goal or less in 19 games. RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 17-6-0, and have won all seven meetings between the two schools, since Oswego re-established its program in 2007.  The two teams meet once again on Saturday at Ritter Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. RIT will honor its four seniors before the game.

 

- From RIT Sports Information

Oswego is in WNY for a pair of SUNYAC Contests

The top ranked team in all of D-III Men's Ice Hockey makes a return to the ice tonight as the Oswego State Lakers make the trip to snowy Western New York for a showdown with the Buffalo State Bengals at the Buff State Ice Arena on Friday night. On Saturday, Oswego travels to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils at Steele Hall.



The Oswego State Lakers are coming in as the top team in the land according to the latest USCHO D-III Poll. Oswego (15-2-0, 8-0-0)  is on a three game winning streak, including two shutouts by goalies Andrew Hare and Dan Jones. The Lakers potent offense is led by Junior transfer Ian Boots with 22 points (9 G 13 A), Sophomore Luke Moodie with 19 points (10 G 9 A) and Senior Justin Fox also with 19 points (8 G 11 A).

As already mentioned, the goaltenders for Ed Gosek's squad have been hot lately as they put back to back shutouts between the pipes. Dan Jones (3-1-0) comes into the weekend with a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 1.68 with a save percentage of .944 Andrew Hare picked up his first win as a Laker since transferring in from Niagara University and Hare (1-1-0) has a save percentage of .896 and GAA of 2.76 Starting goaltender Paul Beckwith (11-0-0) may or may not be ready to go this weekend as he is coming back from an injury. Beckwith has a GAA of 1.37 and has a save percentage of .949

The Buffalo State Bengals (8-7-2, 4-2-2) are coming in after a weekend sweep of Johnson and Wales last weekend. The Bengals are led offensively by Senior Nick Petriello with 21 points ( 7 G 14 A), Sophomore Trevor McKinney with 19 points (11 G 8 A) and Sophomore forward Justin Knee with 15 points (7 G 8 A). Between the pipes, Freshman Kevin Carr has had most of the load playing 16 games for the Bengals. Carr has a record of 7-7-2 and has a GAA of 2.66 and has a save percentage of .924

On Saturday, the Lakers will travel to Steele Hall in Fredonia to face off against the Fredonia Blue Devils. Fredonia (8-9-0, 3-5-0) is coming off a sweep of Franklin Pierce last weekend. The Blue Devils are led by Senior forward Jordon Oye with 30 points (13 G 17 A), Junior Brian Ross with 29 points (8 G 21 A) and Senior Alex Horton with 19 points (8 G 11 A). Fredonia's netminders include three Freshmen. One of the Freshmen is Hark Friesen who has played 11 games (5-6-0) in his first season in the Southern Tier. Friesen's GAA is 2.63 and has a save percentage of .917

Oswego's WNYO-FM 88.9 will have the play by play action of both games this weekend.

Notes: top picture left - Buff State Ice Arena, right - Steele Hall Ice Arena at Fredonia

PREVIEW: Curry Colonels at #2 Oswego State Lakers on Saves For a Cure Night

The Oswego State Lakers will play host to the Curry College Colonels out of the ECAC Northeast Conference in a non-conference contest at 7:00 pm Saturday night at the Campus Center Ice Arena. The Lakers will be sporting a gold jersey that helps supports Saves For A Cure. Saves For a Cure is a non-profit organization founded by former Brockport men's ice hockey goaltender Todd Sheridan aimed to help children with their battle against cancer in the Rochester area.

The Lakers are coming off a 2-0 victory over Skidmore on Tuesday night behind a 25 save shutout for Dan Jones (first of career) and goals from Jon Whitelaw and Dan Bremner to bump their record up to 14-2-0 overall. Oswego is led offensively by Junior Ian Boots with 20 points (8 G 12 A). Senior Justin Fox is one point behind Boots with 19 points (8 G 11 A) and Sophomore Luke Moodie is just one point behind Fox with 18 points (9 G 9 A). Between the pipes, Dan Jones has a record of 3-1-0 with a goals against average (GAA) of 1.68 and a save percentage of .944 Sophomore transfer Andrew Hare has not fared well in net for the green and gold. Hare has a save percentage of .839 and a GAA of 6.15. Overall, Oswego averages 3.88 goals per game (stat is in conference only).

The visiting Curry College Colonels come into the Port City after a game at the historic Utica Memorial Auditorium against the Pioneers on Friday. Curry comes in with an overall record of 5-3-2. The Colonels are led offensively by Juniors Christopher Atkinson with 15 points (5 G 10 A), Payden Benning with 11 points (7 G 4 A) and Steven Mohler with 9 points (3 G 6 A). In net for Curry, Freshman Travis Owens has a record of 4-1-1 with a GAA of 3.04 and a save percentage of .904 Sophomore Robert Dawson has a record of 1-2-1 with a save percentage of .852 and a GAA of 4.29 (stats are before Utica game)


Oswego State's Student run radio station WNYO-FM 88.9 will be carrying the contest live starting with their pregame show "Countdown to Faceoff" at 6:30 pm with the puck drop shortly after 7.The Oswego State Sports Information Department will be doing live stats for that game and the links can be found below.

LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO

Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic Finals

The Hamilton Continentals and the Hobart Statesmen will play for the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic Championship today at 1pm at the Campus Center Ice Arena on the campus of SUNY Oswego. The host Lakers will play UW Stevens Point at 4pm in the third place game. Hamilton comes in to the championship game with a convincing 5-1 win over the Lakers on Thursday and Hobart took care of UW Stevens Point in the other game on Thursday to reach the Championship game.

Oswego's Sports Information Department will take care of the stats for each game today and WNYO-FM 88.9 will take care of the play by play action from the Port City.Stats and audio for the games can be reached by clicking on the links below.

LIVE STATS

LIVE AUDIO

Oswego LOSES in Pathfinder Tournament, Plays UW Stevens Point Friday at 1pm

The Oswego State Lakers suffered a 5-1 beat down tonight at the hands of the Hamilton Continentals at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego, NY. Hamilton's victory has them playing the Hobart Statesmen at 1:00 pm New Years Eve and the host Lakers will play in the third place game at 4:00 pm against UW Stevens Point.

The Lakers saw its 25-game home winning streak come to an end on Thursday in front of an estimated crowd of 2300. Hamilton stormed out of the gates in the first period capitalizing on an Oswego State boarding penalty midway through the frame. Bryan Kelly carried the puck up the left side of the rink before being checked off the puck. Anthony Ruberto picked up the puck and laced a pass through the slot to Joe Houk, who was crashing to the net. Houk slid the puck under Laker goaltender Andrew Hare to give Hamilton a 1-0 lead at the 10:03 mark.  The score stood at the first intermission. 

Midway through the second period, Oswego State's Joe Hall  ripped a shot that clanged off the pipe and crossbar.  The rebound went to the Continentals, who created an odd-man rush the opposite direction.  Thomas Williams and Nick Anderson had a 2-on-1 opportunity as Williams fed Anderson for his third goal of the season at 12:24 in the frame to put Hamilton ahead 2-0.  Anderson added another goal in the final two minutes of the stanza to make the score 3-0 with 20 minutes remaining.

The Lakers got on the scoreboard at 5:13 in the third period when Ian Boots crashed the net for a loose puck. Hank Van Boxmeer and Paul Rodrigues were awarded assists on the goal.  However, the Continentals quickly responded with a pair of goals in under 30 seconds in the ninth minute of the frame to bring the score to 5-1.Hamilton's Scott Hefferman registered 27 saves for the victory.  Oswego State's Andrew Hare suffered the loss with 26 saves in 48:45, while Dan Jones posted three saves in the final 11:02.

The loss marked the first time that the Lakers suffered a home loss since February 21, 2009 when they fell to Potsdam, 4-2.The loss also marks the first time that the Lakers suffered losses in back to back contests since that weekend in February 2009 as they lost to both Potsdam and Plattsburgh.

story courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information

Petty's Point: Bad play all night and spending most of the time in the pelenty box. Oswego spent 22 minutes in the sin bin including a ten minute misconduct pelenty. Also, the Lakers were 0-5 on the Powerplay. Sloppy play in their own end and sloppy passes led to this pathetic loss tonight. 

Oswego State Hosts Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic

The PathFinder Bank/Oswego Hockey Classic enters its fifth edition already steeped in a tradition of providing one of the most entertaining tournaments in Division III ice hockey.  Since its inception in 2007, three of the four previous Classic Champions have gone on to reach the NCAA Division III Frozen Four, including two national champions (Oswego State, 2007 and St. Norbert, 2008). Defending Champions Oswego State went to the Frozen Four last season in Lake Placid.

The four teams in this year’s tournament field – Hamilton College of the New England Small College Athletic Conference, Hobart College of the ECAC West, the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, and host Oswego State – would like to continue this tradition of post-season success.

The Lakers, who are the defending Classic champions, enter as the nation’s top-ranked team as garnered by US College Hockey Online (USCHO) on December 13 with an overall record of 12-1-0.  Oswego State started the season winning twelve straight decisions before falling to Hobart, 5-2, on December 11 in the final contest for both squads before the holiday break.  More importantly, the Lakers finished the first half of the season with a conference record of 8-0-0, which is five points ahead of the second-place squad.

Oswego State’s early season success can be attributed to contribution up and down the lineup as eight different skaters have recorded game-winning goals.  The Laker offense ranked 13th in scoring in NCAA Division III on December 18, averaging 4.08 goals per game.  The Lakers are paced by senior Justin Fox who has tallied 17 points on eight goals and nine assists.  He is followed closely by linemate Ian Boots at 16 points (five goals and 11 assists). 

Special teams have also played an important role as Oswego State has the sixth-ranked power play in the country, converting 28.6 percent (20/70) of its opportunities with Fox scoring six power-play goals.  On the penalty kill, the Lakers sit tied for 12th in Division III at 87.3 percent (62/71).

Another reason for Oswego State’s success has been the goaltending efforts of junior Paul Beckwith and sophomore Dan Jones, who have combined for a goals against average of 1.62, which ranks fifth in the nation.  Beckwith is 11-0-0 on the season with a 1.37 goals against average and a .949 save percentage, but suffered an injury early in December that will likely keep him from playing during the Classic.  Jones appeared in his first collegiate contests in the final two games before the break posting a 1-1-0 record.  His win came against 12th-ranked Utica in a 2-1 decision where he made 27 saves.   

The Lakers will be tested immediately in the opening round when they face Hamilton College (4-3-0).  Each of the Continentals’ four victories have been by two or more goals, but have not been able to replicate their offensive production on a consistent basis as they average 3.29 goals per game, which is 36th in Division III.  Sophomore defenseman Joe Houk paces the squad with five goals, while forwards Anthony Scarpino and Anthony Ruberto are tied for the team lead in points with seven on two goals and five assists each.  Defensively, Hamilton is tied for 30th in goals allowed at 2.86 with senior goaltender Scott Hefferman posting a 2.50 goals against average in six appearances.  Execution on special teams will be critical for the Continentals as they rank 38th in the country on the penalty kill at 81.2 percent (26/32) and 58th on the power play at 14.6 percent (6/41).

This year’s West Region representative comes to Oswego State from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point with an overall mark of 5-8-0.  The Pointers started the season 4-1-0 and was ranked as high as 10th in the USCHO.com Poll on November 8, but suffered a seven-game losing streak before recording a 3-2 win over then 14th-ranked UW-Eau Claire.  Seven of UW-Stevens Point’s losses have been by two or fewer goals versus four ranked opponents.  The Pointers have a balanced offensive attack with no player tallying more than four goals, but have struggled to score goals as the 53rd-ranked offense in Division III at 2.84 goals per contest.  Sophomore goaltender Nick Graves has logged the majority of minutes between the pipes with a 2.34 goals against average to keep UW-Stevens Point in contests.  The Pointers have a solid penalty kill unit that ranks 22nd at 84.3 percent having killed off 59 of the 70 power plays they have faced.

UW-Stevens Point will square off against Hobart College in Thursday’s first matchup.  The Statesmen enter the Classic on a high note riding a three-game win streak after handing Oswego State its’ lone loss of the season on December 11 in a 5-2 win on their home ice.  Hobart has played particularly well against SUNYAC teams having posted a 3-1-1 record with the loss coming at the hands of Geneseo (5-2) and the tie versus Cortland in a 2-2 stalemate.  The Statesmen rank in the top 20 in goals scored and goals allowed.  Offensively, Hobart ranks 16th in scoring at 3.85 goals per game behind 12 points from senior Matthew Wallace and junior Greg Ciciola.  Both have also provided a spark to the 16th-ranked power-play unit (13/54 at 24.1 percent), as the skaters have combined to record seven of the team’s 13 power-play goals.  Defensively, the Statesmen have gone to sophomore Nick Broadwater in goal all season.  Broadwater carries a 2.33 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.  

There is live Stats and Oswego's Student run station, WNYO-FM has all the action live from the Campus Center Ice Arena on the campus of the State University of New York at Oswego.

Picture and story courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information

Oswego State Auctions Game Worn Jerseys for Saves For a Cure

The Oswego State Lakers Men's ice hockey team will be auctioning off gold jerseys that will be worn during the January 8 contest against Curry to help support Saves For A Cure.  Saves For A Cure is a non-profit organization founded by former Brockport Men's ice hockey Goaltender Todd Sheridan aimed to help children with their battle against cancer in the Rochester, New York area.


Minimum bids start at $50.  Bids begin Thursday, Dec. 30 and will be accepted through Sunday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT with the winners announced on Monday, Jan. 11 at 9 a.m./ET on the Oswego State Athletics website.

Bidding Site

Saves For A Cure Website


Courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information

Its Game Night in Brockport

The number one ranked team in the country according to the latest USCHO D-III polls, the Oswego State Lakers are at the Tuttle North Athletic Complex in Brockport, NY for a SUNYAC match-up against the Brockport Golden Eagles. Oswego earned 17 out of the possible 20 first place votes in the latest USCHO poll which was released this past Monday.

Oswego comes into the game at The College at Brockport with an overall record of 9-0-0 and a perfect 6-0-0 in Conference play.  Offensively, the Lakers are lead by Senior Justin Fox (6 G 8 A = 14 points) and Junior Transfer Ian Boots  (5 G 8 A = 13 points). Over the six conference games so far this season, Oswego has put 41 goals into the net setting up one of the most potent offenses in all of Division III Men's Ice Hockey. Oswego's defense and goaltending are key to their fast start so far this season. The Lakers have given up the fewest goals in conference this season with 13 with Paul Beckwith between the pipes. Beckwith has a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 1.45 and a save percentage of .947

Brockport comes into tonights home contest with an overall record of 0-9-1 and a conference record 0-6-0. The Golden Eagles last contests took place in the Rutland-Herald Invitational at Castleton State with Brockport getting a tie out of Tufts College 3-3 and losing the next night to host Castleton 5-1.  The Golden Eagles have only scored a total of 22 goals in conference this season while giving up the most goals in conference with 54. On offense, Brockport is lead by Junior Right Winger James Cody (7 G 7 A = 14 pts.) and Junior Ian Finnerty with 8 points (3 G 5 A). Between the pipes for the Golden Eagles, Oliver Wren has gotten much of the load as he has a GAA of 5.42 and a .875 save percentage. Also, Freshmen Joe Reagan has played a handful of games and has a GAA of 4.84 and a save percentage of .885

Student media for both teams will be carrying coverage of this SUNYAC match up. Oswego fans, listen to WNYO-FM 88.9 as Countdown to Faceoff will begin at 6:30 with play by play underway at 7:00. For Brockport's call of the game, 89.1 the Point (WBSU-FM) will be having coverage underway tonight at 6:45.

Oswego State Announces 2010-2011 Schedule

The defending SUNYAC Men's Ice Hockey Champion Oswego State Lakers have released their 2010-2011 schedule to the public. The road to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Frozen Four will be long, but a true test for Oswego but with the new recruits that Head Coach Ed Gosek brought to the Port City, the Lakers should be one of the teams to beat as they try to defend their SUNYAC Championship. The Lakers host one preseason game on October 16th as they take on Bradford Rattlers All Stars before getting right into a non-conference home and home series with the Elmira College Soaring Eagles. Then the Lakers get into their SUNYAC Schedule with home contests against Buffalo State, Fredonia and Potsdam before the November 6th date with arch-rival Plattsburgh for the annual Whiteout Game.

After the game against the Cards, Oswego State will host Cortland before making the trip to Utica to play the Pioneers at the Auditorium on November 13th. Then the Lakers will contine on the road with contests against Morrisville, Brockport and Geneseo before returning to the Port City to host Utica on December 10th and the following night, make the trip down NYS Route 14 to Geneva to "the Cooler" to take on the Hobart Statesmen.

Hobart is a familiar team that Lakers fans will see when Oswego hosts the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic Participating this year will also be Hamilton College and Wisconson-Stevens Point. Oswego will host Hamilton on December 30th at 7:00 pm with UW Stevens Point and Hobart facing off at 4:00 pm that afternoon. Then on New Years Eve, the championship game will be at 7:00 with the third place game squaring off at 4:00 pm.


Oswego will then open up the calendar year to 2011 as they take on Skidmore and Curry before the spring semester starts with a trip to Western New York as they travel to play Buffalo State and Fredonia. The following weekend has the Lakers in the North Country as they take on Potsdam and Plattsburgh and then making the trip down I-81 to Cortland to take on the Red Dragons. After that road trip, the Lakers return to the Campus Center Ice Arena as they host Morrisville, Brockport and Geneseo to wrap up the regular season.


Full schedule = CLICK HERE

Oswego Ousted by St. Norbert 4-3

With the score knotted at 3-3, St. Norbert’s Cody Keefer scored the game-winning goal with 39.4 seconds remaining to give the third-ranked Green Knights a 4-3 win over the second-ranked Oswego State men’s ice hockey team in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championships on Friday at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. The Lakers tied the contest on three separate occasions, including Jon Whitelaw’s goal with 2:32 left to play in regulation. Oswego State finished the season with an overall record of 26-3-0, while St. Norbert advanced to the NCAA Championship with a record of 24-3-3 overall.
Few scoring opportunities existed in the first period as both teams gained a feel for each other and the Olympic-size rink.  Oswego State went on the only power play of the frame in the early stages, but was unable to apply any pressure.  At the end of the penalty, Mike Bernardy (Jr., Sandy, Utah) came out of the penalty box, picked up the puck at neutral ice to create the first scoring chance of the game.  He ripped a wrist shot on the breakaway, but Laker goaltender Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.) made a right pad save to keep St. Norbert off of the scoreboard.

Late in the period, an Oswego State turnover at neutral ice resulted in Johan Ryd (So., Sodertalje, Sweden) picking up the puck for a 1-on-0 breakaway.  He rifled a shot past Gunn-Taylor into the lower right portion of the net to give St. Norbert a 1-0 lead with 1:59 remaining in the first period.  The Green Knights turned up the pressure on the Lakers in the waning seconds of the stanza, but the defense was able to keep St. Norbert from scoring as the score stood at 1-0 heading into intermission.

After play went back-and-forth for the majority of the second stanza, Eric Selleck (So., Spencerville, Ontario) carried the puck to the blue line before dumping the pass to Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ontario) on the far right side.  Fox laced a cross-ice to Neil Musselwhite (Sr., Burlington, Ontario), who gathered the puck before firing a wrist shot into the upper left-corner of the net over Green Knight goalie B.J. O’Brien’s (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) stick at 17:14.  It was Musselwhite’s 23rd goal of the season as the score was tied at 1-1 after two periods.

Whatever scoring was lacking in the first 40 minutes was made up for in abundance in the final frame.  Early in the third, St. Norbert took advantage of an Oswego State boarding penalty when Matt Boyd’s shot for the slot ricocheted off the crossbar into open space where Tyler Allen (Sr., Midhurst, Ontario) flipped the puck into the net at 4:18.  Less than a minute later, the Lakers evened the score when Fox received a pass on the right side from Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y).  He faked a slap shot near the left face-off circle before sending a wrist shot into the left side of the net at the 5:12 mark.

The Green Knights regained the lead at 7:02 when they capitalized on an Oswego State turnover in the defensive zone.  Scott Pulak (Jr., Green Bay, Wis.) fed Sam Tikka (Sr., Soldotna, Alaska) with a pass as he sent an uncontested shot through Gunn-Taylor’s five-hole to make the score 3-2. 
Oswego State continued to fight until it tied the game again with 2:32 remaining when Paul Rodrigues (Fr., Etobicoke, Ontario) played the puck from behind the net to Jon Whitelaw (Fr., Huntsville, Ontario), who was in front of the net to pound home the goal.

The game appeared to be headed into overtime until another turnover at center ice lead to Cody Keefer (Fr., Grayling, Mich.) skating in for the breakaway and the game-winning goal with 39.4 seconds remaining on the clock.  Head coach Ed Gosek called timeout after the score and pulled Gunn-Taylor for the extra attacker, but the Lakers were unable to put a shot on goal in the final seconds.

Oswego State’s Kyle Gunn-Taylor finished the game with 16 saves as he finished the season with a record of 18-2-0.  St. Norbert’s B.J. O’Brien improved to 24-2-3 after registering 20 saves.  The Lakers were 0-for-4 on the power play compared to the Green Knights, who were 1-for-2. 

Notes
-Oswego State ended the year with one of the most successful seasons in school history as it set a new mark for highest winning percentage in school history at .897 after going 26-3-0.  The previous mark was .883 (26-3-1), which was set in 1980-81.
-The Lakers are now 2-1-0 all-time against St. Norbert as Oswego State defeated the Green Knights 4-3 in overtime in the 2007 NCAA Semifinals and 4-3 on November 28, 2008 in DePere, Wis.

Box Score

Photo: Mike LeBoeuf (Oswego Palladium Times) 
Story: Oswego State Sports Information  

Oswego and St. Norbert meet in Semifinals from Lake Placid

The Oswego State Lakers and St. Norbert Green Knights will meet for the second time in the last 4 years in the NCAA D-III National Semifinals for the shot to play for a national championship. Oswego won that game back in 2007 in OT on a goal by former Laker Captain Ryan Woodward. This year's battle will get underway at 4:00 pm Friday afternoon from the Herb Brooks Ice Arena in Lake Placid, NY, the site of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice".

St. Norbert comes into the matchup with a record of 23-3-3. The Green Knights defeated Gustavus Adolphus 3-1 last Saturday to make the Frozen Four. St. Norbert is led offensively by Senior forward Shane Wheeler. Wheeler has 31 points (13 G, 28 A) in 29 games played. Fellow Senior Tyler Allen has 30 points (14 G, 16 A) and Senior Matt Boyd has 28 points (9 G, 18 A). The Green Knights are led in net by Junior BJ O'Brien. O'Brien is 23-2-3 with a .923 save percentage and a Goals Against Avearge (GAA) of 1.58.

Oswego's road to Lake Placid only had one stop on the way... the Campus Center Ice Arena. The Lakers went perfect at home this season and that includes last Saturday's 9-2 defeat over Bowdoin in the Quarterfinals. The Lakers are 26-2-0 and Champions of the SUNYAC Conference. Oswego is led offensively by the line of Eric Selleck, Chris Laganiere and Justin Fox. Selleck has 53 points (21 Goals, 32 Assists) in just 27 games played. Owego's Chris Laganiere has 45 points (16 G, 29 A) as does Justin Fox (13 G, 32 A). The Lakers are led in net by West Seneca, NY native Kyle Gunn-Taylor. KGT has an overall record of  18-1-0 with a .918 save percentage and a Goals Against Average of 2.00

The winner of this matchup will meet the winners of the night cap game between Norwich and Plattsburgh for the National Title at 5:00 pm Saturday from Lake Placid. The game between Oswego and St Norbert will be webstreamed live through 88.9 FM WNYO Oswego. The contest will also be webcasted courtesy of FastHockey.com.  Sign-up registration is required by logging on to http://www.fasthockey.com/login.php, but the video is free.

Lakers Oust Bowdoin 9-2, Head to Lake Placid For Frozen Four

The second-ranked Oswego State men’s hockey team posted a convincing 9-2 win over sixth-ranked Bowdoin on Saturday night at the Campus Center Arena to advance to the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Semifinal round. Senior assistant captain Neil Musselwhite paced the Laker offense with four goals, while sophomore defenseman Hank Van Boxmeer broke out for two goals and two assists in the victory. Oswego State, which improved to 26-2-0 overall, will face third-ranked St. Norbert on Friday, March 19 in Lake Placid, N.Y. at a time to be announced. The Polar Bears finished the season with an overall record of 19-7-1.
Bowdoin struck first by capitalizing on a pair of Oswego State charging penalties at 5:14 in the first period when Mike Corbelle’s (Sr., Byfield, Mass.) blast from the right point got past Laker netminder Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.).  Captain Colin MacCormack (Sr., Bedford, Nova Scotia) was credited with an assist on the play as the Polar Bears quieted the crowd.

The Lakers evened the game two minutes later as both teams skated 4-on-4.  Brad Dormiedy (Sr., Ajax, Ontario) moved the puck from the defensive zone to neutral ice before finding Neil Musselwhite (Sr., Burlington, Ontario), who was skating up the right side.  Musselwhite got around the Polar Bear defender, moved through the crease, and got the backhand past Bowdoin goaltender Chris Rossi (Sr., Barrington, R.I.).  The Polar Bears gained another two-skater advantage later in the period, but Oswego State was able to kill both penalties and keep the score knotted at 1-1.

It would not be until late in the period when the Lakers seized the lead for good.  Luke Moodie (Fr., Burlington, Ontario) carried the puck deep into the Bowdoin defensive zone before finding Eric Selleck (So., Spencerville, Ontario) at the right face-off circle.  As a Polar Bear player went down to block the shot, Selleck passed over to Hank Van Boxmeer (So., Orange, Calif.), whose blast from the blue line found its way through traffic at 14:38 to put Oswego State ahead 2-1. 

Van Boxmeer struck again early in the second period with six seconds remaining on a Laker power play when he ripped a slap shot that popped Rossi’s water bottle off of the top of the net.  Matt Singleton (Fr., Brooklin, Ontario) and Moodie received assists on the goal that gave Oswego State a 3-1 edge.  The Lakers took advantage of a Bowdoin line change at the 7:34 mark with seven seconds left in another Oswego State power play when Musselwhite’s slap shot from the left face-off went off of Rossi’s glove, and bounced into the air behind Rossi into the net.  Gunn-Taylor was credited with an assist on the play for his first career point.
Minutes later, Dormiedy carried the puck across the blue line, ripped a slap shot past Rossi after faking a pass to Musselwhite on the left side to give the Lakers a four-goal lead midway through the second period.  The goal prompted Bowdoin head coach Terry Meagher to call timeout and switch Rossi for Richard Nerland (So., Calgary, Alberta).

However, the change did not slow down the Oswego State offense as Musselwhite completed the hat trick at 17:47 in the middle stanza when Dormiedy drew the Bowdoin defender on a 2-on-1 rush before passing to his linemate for the tap-in goal. The Lakers closed out the second period with their third power-play goal of the game when Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ontario) deflected a Tyler Lyon (Sr., Foxboro, Ontario) slap shot past Nerland to give Oswego State a 7-1 lead at intermission. 

Midway through the third period, Musselwhite tacked on his fourth goal of the game when he and Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y.) traded passes back-and-forth during an odd-man rush. B owdoin answered seconds later, though, when Rob MacGregor (Fr., Collegeville, Pa.) flipped the puck over Gunn-Taylor’s left shoulder at 10:49 with assists going to Kyle Shearer-Hardy (Jr., Montreal, Quebec) and Brendan Reich (Jr., Montvale, N.J.) to make the score 8-2.  The final Oswego State goal came at the 12:50 mark when Van Boxmeer laced a two-line pass through center ice to Tyler Leimbrock (Fr., Bolton, Ontario) in stride, as he skated in on Nerland unabated for the goal.  Michael Gilchrist (Fr., Rochester, N.Y.) also earned an assist.

The Lakers finished the game 3-for-7 on the power play compared to the Polar Bears, who went 1-for-8 with the skater advantage, including 1-for-6 in the first period.  Oswego State out-shot Bowdoin 33-23, but that differential occurred solely in the second stanza as the Lakers owned a 16-4 shot advantage.
Oswego State’s Kyle Gunn-Taylor improved to 18-1-0 on the season after stopping 21 shots and allowing two goals.  The Polar Bears’ Chris Rossi recorded 17 saves on 22 shots, while Richard Nerland finished with seven saves on 11 shots.  Musselwhite’s four-goal performance tied the NCAA championship record for most goals in a single game, which has occurred on four previous occasions with the most recent taking place in 1997 when Norwich’s Curt Healy posted four goals against Plattsburgh.

The Lakers, who are advancing to the NCAA semifinal game for the first time since 2007, will face St. Norbert on Friday, March 19.  St. Norbert defeated Gustavus Adolphus 3-1 to earn a spot in Lake Placid.
Fans looking to attend Friday’s contest can find ticket information at NCAA.com. 

Box Score

Courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information  

Oswego vs Bowdoin... Winner Heads to Lake Placid

The Oswego State Lakers are hosting the NCAA D-III Mens Ice Hockey Quarterfinals for the first time since their 3-0 shutout of Norwich in 2007 on their way to the National Championship. The Lakers are just one win away from heading to Lake Placid and represent the SUNYAC in the frozen four.  The one team that is stoping the Lakers to head to Lake Placid, the Bowdoin Polar Bears. The matchup at the Campus Center Ice Arena at SUNY Oswego will start with the puck drop, around 7:00 pm Saturday night.

The Polar Bears, 19-6-1 are representing the NESCAC Conference and recieved one of the at large bids to get into the national tournament. The Polar Bears are 6th according to the USCHO D-III Polls and are led offensively by Junior Defenseman Kyle Shearer-Hardy with 8 goals and 21 assists for 29 points in 24 games played this season. Leading forward is freshman Daniel Weiniger with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 21 games played. Bowdoin is led between the pipes by Senior Chris Rossi. Rossi is 14-1-1 with a 2.08 Goals Against Average (GAA) and a .919 save percentage.

Oswego State enters this contest after winning the SUNYAC Championship for the first time since 2003 as they defeated arch-rival Plattsburgh 6-3 last Saturday night in Oswego for their third win this season over the Cardinals. The Lakers, 25-2-0 were 2nd in the final USCHO D-III Poll of the season. Oswego is led offensively by the top line of Eric Selleck, Justin Fox and Chris Laganiere. Selleck, has 21 goals and 31 assists for 52 points to lead all scorers for Oswego. Chris Laganiere and Justin Fox both have 44 points each. Laganiere has 16 goals and 28 assists while Fox has 12 goals and 32 assists. Between the pipes, Kyle Gunn-Taylor leads the way for the Lakers. Gunn-Taylor is 17-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

This game will be broadcasted through the Student Media Groups at SUNY Oswego. WTOP-10 and Central NY Time Warner local access 96 will have the game starting with their pregame show "Hockey Night in Oswego" at 6:30 pm. WNYO-FM 88.9 will broadcast the game starting with their pregame show, "Countdown to Faceoff" at 6:00 pm. WNYO-FM and WTOP Webstream will be doing a webstream of the 7:00 pm contest from the Campus Center Ice Arena on the shores of Lake Ontario. Live stats will also be available for the contest through the Oswego State Sports Information Department.

Final Seconds of SUNYAC Championship

Audio: Mike Keeley - Home PxP Announcer Oswego State Lakers - WNYO FM
Video: Joe Crahan - WNYO-FM Personality and OSU Fan

SUNYAC CHAMPS... Your Oswego State Lakers

For the first time since 2007, the Oswego State men’s hockey team will be headed back to the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Tournament after defeating visiting Plattsburgh 6-3 for the SUNYAC Championship on Saturday night in Oswego. The Lakers displayed a balanced attack as six different players scored goals in front of a sold-out crowd. Oswego State, which earned its eighth conference title overall and first since 2002-03, improved to 25-2-0 on the season, while the Cardinals dropped to 18-5-4.
Paul Rodrigues (Fr., Etobicoke, Ont.) got the scoring started at 9:32 in the first period when he netted a wrist shot from the left side over the glove of Plattsburgh goaltender Ryan Williams.  Luke Moodie (Fr., Burlington, Ont.) and Michael Gilchrist (Fr., Rochester, N.Y.) were credited with assists on the goal. Owen Kelly (Jr., Plattsburgh, N.Y.) stretched the lead to two when he scored on a pass from Andrew Mather (So., Ottawa, Ont.) at 13:26 in the first period. The Lakers would carry their two-goal lead until midway through the second period when the Cardinals ended the shutout bid.  Andrew Willock was able to push the puck in the net after a long scramble at 9:17 in the second period.  Eric Satim recorded an assist on the play.  Kevin Huinink (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) positioned himself behind Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.) during the scramble, saving several scoring chances before the eventual goal.

Huinink got Oswego State back on track at 16:11 when he blasted a slap shot from just inside the blue line that beat Williams up high. Mather pushed the score to 4-1 when he fired a wrist shot that beat the Cardinal goaltender stick-side at 18:04 in the second stanza.  Mather received a pass from Kelly, switching roles from their combined effort on a first period goal.

Just 22 seconds later, Taylor Farris (Fr., Oakville, Ont.) received a pass from Tyler Leimbrock (Fr., Bolton, Ont.) and took it down the left side before letting go of a wrist shot. The shot trickled between Williams’ legs and into the net, making the score 5-1 for Farris’ first collegiate score.

Momentum continued to be on the side of Oswego State at the start of the third frame when Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) scored 51 seconds in when he took a pass from Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y.) and beat Josh Leis, who had replaced Williams at the start of the third, with a wrist shot over his glove from the middle of the ice.  It was the fourth Laker goal in a five-minute span.

Plattsburgh continued to fight late into the game, scoring two goals 2:16 apart to bring the lead down to 6-3 with less than three minutes remaining. Eric Satim and Dylan Clarke scored for Plattsburgh, both on power plays, but it would not be enough as Oswego State went on to hoist the championship trophy.
In goal for the Lakers, Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.) registered 35 saves on the night.  The Plattsburgh goalies combined for 17 saves, as Williams had nine and Leis had eight.

After the game, the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team was announced. Oswego State’s Kyle Gunn-Taylor was selected as the top goalie and Tyler Lyon (Sr., Foxboro, Ont.) was chosen for play at the blue line. The three forwards chosen were Morrisville’s Chris Cerbino, Plattsburgh’s Dylan Clarke, and Oswego State’s Tyler Leimbrock.

Oswego State’s Kevin Huinink was named the SUNYAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, after recording two goals and an assist in two Laker games and a +5 rating. With the win, the Lakers avenged last year’s defeat in the title game against the Cardinals. This was the team’s third win against the Cardinals this season, as they swept the regular-season series.

Oswego State will await word from the NCAA selection committee on when and where it will play when the national tournament bracket is released at NCAA.com on Sunday at 6 p.m.  Plattsburgh will wait to see if it receives one of the three at-large bids for the 11-team tournament.

Box Score

Story Courtesy of SUNY Oswego Sports Information 

Oswego Comes Back and Beats Morrisville; Meet Plattsburgh in SUNYAC Finals

Men's Ice Hockey Overcomes Early Deficit For 8-5 Win Over Morrisville; Faces Plattsburgh In SUNYAC ChampionshipThe No. 2 nationally ranked Oswego State men’s ice hockey team erased a three-goal deficit to come back for an 8-5 win over Morrisville in the SUNYAC Semifinals on Saturday night at the Campus Center Arena. The Lakers trailed 3-0 in the first ten minutes of the game, but charged back behind a hat trick from freshman Tyler Leimbrock and two goals from senior Neil Musselwhite. Oswego State, which improved to 24-2-0 overall, will face Plattsburgh in the SUNYAC Championship game on Saturday, March 6 at 7 p.m. in Oswego. The Mustangs finished the season at 9-17-0.

Morrisville put up the game’s first goal after a rare Oswego State turnover in the defensive zone resulted in Chris Cerbino (Fr., Highland, N.Y.) flipping a backhand above Laker goaltender Kyle Gunn-Taylor (Sr., West Seneca, N.Y.) at 7:50.  Minutes later, Oswego State caught Morrisville in a line change creating a 4-on-1 rush, but Mustang goalie Caylin Relkoff (Jr., Grand Forks, B.C.) made two saves to keep the Lakers off of the board.  The Mustangs charged the other way, as Gunn-Taylor stopped Dave Shultz’s (Jr., Trucksville, Pa.) shot, but Geoff Matzel (So., Chittenango, N.Y.) was there to cleanup the rebound to put Morrisville ahead 2-0 at 8:47 in the first period.

The Mustangs kept their momentum going after a Laker tripping penalty near the midway point of the frame.  Morrisville’s Andrew Alarie (Sr., Carlisle, Ont.) won the ensuing face-off, feeding the puck back to Bobby Cass, who snuck a shot through traffic and into the back of the net.  The goal resulted in Coach Ed Gosek making a goaltending switch replacing Gunn-Taylor with Paul Beckwith (So., Cleveland, Ohio).

Oswego State got on the scoreboard at 12:53 when Tyler Leimbrock (Fr., Bolton, Ont.) was in position to pound home the rebound after a Neil Musselwhite (Sr., Burlington, Ont.) shot.  Brad Dormiedy (Sr., Ajax, Ont.) also earned an assist on the play.  The Lakers cut the deficit in half minutes later when Dormiedy played the puck from behind the net to Musselwhite, who was sitting in front of the crease, for the tap-in goal to make the score 3-2 at the first intermission.

Morrisville regained its two-goal advantage at 1:02 in the second when Johnathan Cristini (So., Mississauga, Ont.) picked up the puck in neutral territory.  He broke free of the Oswego State defense for an uncontested shot to make the score 4-2 in favor of Morrisville.  The Lakers responded quickly, though, when Tyler Leimbrock netted his second goal of the game at 3:18 when his slap shot from the slot went over Relkoff’s glove into the top left corner of the net.  Leimbrock completed the hat trick at the end of the frame when he deflected in a blast by Kevin Huinink (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) from the left point to send the teams into the locker room knotted at 4-4.
The Mustangs started the third period with a skater-advantage, but Neil Musselwhite beat two Morrisville defenders to the puck after causing the turnover for the breakaway.  His shot got past Relkoff giving Oswego State its first lead of the game 27 seconds into the stanza for his sixth short-handed goal of the season. 

Jon Whitelaw (Fr., Huntsville, Ont.) gave the Lakers a 6-4 edge when Relkoff came out of the crease to play the puck.  Whitelaw caused enough of a disruption to get control of the puck for the empty-net goal forcing Morrisville to call timeout with 8:27 left in the game. 

Oswego State later capitalized on its eighth power-play chance of the game when Eric Selleck (So., Spencerville, Ont.) posted his 21st goal of the season after receiving a feed from Justin Fox (Jr., Whitby, Ont.) and Chris Laganiere (Jr., Owego, N.Y.) to go ahead 7-4.  However, Morrisville was not done as Tom Longland (So., Dunnville, Ont.) posted his sixth goal of year with three minutes remaining.  Huinink sealed victory for the Lakers when he scored an empty-net, short-handed goal at 19:00.

Oswego State’s Paul Beckwith earned his eighth win of the season by making 16 saves in the final 50:17 of the game.  Caylin Relkoff stopped 32 of the 39 shots he faced.  Both teams struggled on the power play as the Lakers went 1-for-8 and the Mustangs went 1-for-5 and allowed two short-handed goals.

Tickets for the SUNYAC championship game will be available for SUNY Oswego students and current season ticket holders on Monday, Mar. 1 at the Campus Center Box Office. Season ticket holders and students will receive ticket priority through the end of the day on Tuesday, Mar. 2, while tickets will be made available to the general public on Wednesday, Mar. 3.

Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $3 for SUNY Oswego students with college ID.  Students that purchase tickets in advance will be entered into a drawing for three pairs of all-session passes at the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championships in Lake Placid on March 19-20.  Students must be present to win and have SUNY Oswego ID to claim the prize. The Campus Center Box Office hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and may be reached at (315) 312-3073.

Box Score

Story and Pictures Courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information  

SUNYAC Semi-Finals Preview

This weekend two teams will emerge and then play for the SUNYAC Championship next weekend. However, all four teams should not think that far and worry about their upcoming opponents this weekend. To no one's suprise the top two teams in the conference are Oswego and Plattsburgh. However, their two opponents are somewhat of a suprise.

The top seed Oswego State Lakers will host the Morrisville Mustangs on Saturday night at 7:00 pm from the Campus Center Ice Arena. Oswego (23-2-0) was one game away from sweeping the entire SUNYAC Conference this season until dropping a 3-1 decision at the Ira S Wilson Rink in Geneseo against the Ice Knights on the last day of the regular season. Oswego is also coming into this contest being the number 2 ranked team in the nation, according to the latest USCHO D-III Polls.  Morrisville is coming in to ths game with the Lakers with a overall record of 9-16-0 and they are here after defeating the Fredonia Blue Devils 3-2 in Overtime on Tuesday evening during the play in game. Just three days prior to that, Fredonia lit up the Mustangs 7-1.  Oswego swept the regular season against the Mustangs, beating them 8-1 in Oswego back on November 21st and 5-3 on February 13th at the Ice Plex in Morrisville. Oswego is led offensively by their top line of Eric Selleck, Chris Laganiere and Justin Fox. Selleck, hit the 50 point plateau while Laganiere and Fox both have 42 points respectfully. The Lakers are solid in net with both Kyle Gunn-Taylor (16-1-0, 1.78 GAA and .924 save %) and Paul Beckwith (7-1-0, 1.85 GAA, .931%) performing well. Morrisville is led offensively by juniors Rob Sgarbossa, Andrew Alarie and Bobby Cass. Sgarbossa only has 21 points, thats half the points that both Laganiere and Fox has for Oswego. Look for Morrisville to come out all hyped up after beating Fredonia and look for Oswego to put the pressure on Mustang netminder Caylin Relkoff  (9-13-0, 4.05 GAA and .890 save%) early and often and therefore the Lakers will host the SUNYAC Championship game on the shores of Lake Ontario. 

The second ranked Plattsburgh Cardinals are set to host the Brockport Golden Eagles Saturday Night at the Stafford Ice Arena. The Cards, (17-4-4) are looking to find their way back into the SUNYAC Championship and try to defend their title. Plattsburgh is coming into this showdown ranked forth in the nation according to the USCHO D-III Polls. The Brockport Golden Eagles (14-11-1) are coming to Plattsburgh after shutting out the Potsdam Bears 3-0 in their Play in Game on Tuesday night. Plattsburgh, like Oswego swept their opponent during the regular season, defeating the Golden Eagles 4-1 at Stafford and then 7-1 in Brockport. The Cardinals are led offensively by Juniors Dylan Clarke ( 7 G, 17 A for 24 points) and Eric Satim (10 G, 13 A for 23 points).  Brockport is led by Sophomore James Cody (13 G-14 A- 27 P) and Junior Ray Tremblay (6 G- 19 A- 25 P). The battle will be in net as Brockport's Todd Sheridan is coming in with a 11-10-1 record, 3.02 GAA and a .913 save %. Plattsburgh's two  Freshmen netminders, Ryan Williams (10-1-1, 1.89 GAA, .917 save %) and Josh Leis (7-3-3, 1.63 GAA and .933 save %) have performed well for Bob Emery after the early departure of former netminder Bryan Hince. Look for Brockport to come out and skate well with the Cardinals but as the game goes on, Plattsburgh's pressure on Sheridan will take over and look for the Cardinals to play for the SUNYAC Championship next weekend.

Here are the scenarios for the right to play in the SUNYAC Championship
If Oswego wins - they will host the SUNYAC Championships
If Plattsburgh Wins - Either host the Championship game (with Oswego loss) or they will travel to Oswego
If Brockport Wins - Travel to Oswego or host Morrisville for the Championship
If Morrisville Wins - Travel to either Brockport or Plattsburgh

Media Coverage of SUNYAC Semi-Finals 
For those who cannot attend the game in Oswego... Time Warner Cable Sports will broadcast the game live as well as WTOP-10 and locall access channel 96. They are also webstreaming the game live courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information with WTOP personnel providing commentary for WTOP and the webstream. A live radio broadcast will provided by WNYO (88.9 FM) and is available at www.wnyo.org, as well as live stats, which can be accessed at www.sidearmstats.com/oswego/mhockey.

As for the Plattsburgh game, long time play by play announcer Ducky Drake will broadcast the match up with Brockport on WIRY radio in Plattsburgh. Live stats is also available by CLICKING HERE. For the Brockport fans, 89.1 The Point will cover the game on the radio dials with Live Stats doing that game as well as Fast Hockey.com providing video.  

Oswego Men Dominate SUNYAC Post-Season Awards

The State University of New York Athletic Conference released its 2009-10 Post-Season Men’s Ice Hockey awards on Wednesday and Oswego State garnered the majority of the awards. Sophomore forward Eric Selleck (pictured)  was named the Herb Hammond Most Valuable Player, freshman forward Jon Whitelaw was named Rookie of the Year, and Ed Gosek was selected as the Coach of the Year. Three players received First Team All-Conference recognition including junior forward Chris Laganiere, junior defenseman Stephen Mallaro, and Selleck, while senior forward Neil Musselwhite was named to the Second Team.


In addition, senior defenseman Tyler Lyon and senior goaltender Kyle Gunn-Taylor received honorable mention All-Conference honors.  After finishing the SUNYAC regular season with a record of 15-1-0, the Lakers, who are 23-2-0 overall, earned the top seed in the conference post-season tournament.
Eric Selleck, a native of Spencerville, Ontario, led the league in the majority of offensive categories including points (39), assists (25), goals (14), power play points (14).  He was tied for the league-lead in goals scored at 14.  Last year’s SUNYAC Rookie of the Year was named SUNYAC Player of the Week on November 9 and December 14.  Selleck is the second player in conference history to receive both SUNYAC MVP and Rookie of the Year honors following Oswego State’s Ryan Ellis and is the first to accomplish this in consecutive seasons. 

Chris Laganiere, an Owego, N.Y. native, led the conference with four game-winning goals and ranked second in the conference at 30 points.  He tied Selleck for a league-best 14 goals and was tied for first in power play goals at six.  Laganiere also ranked second in power play points at 11 and fourth in assists at 16.

Stephen Mallaro (right), a defenseman from Syracuse, N.Y., was fourth among conference defensemen in scoring with 11 points on four goals and seven assists.  He also posted three game-winning goals for Oswego State.

Assistant captain Neil Musselwhite led the conference with four short-handed goals and was tied for third in the league with 11 goals.  The Burlington, Ontario native was selected as the SUNYAC Player of the Week on December 7 and January 11.  He became the ninth player in NCAA history to tally a short-handed natural hat trick on December 4 against Brockport. 

Jon Whitelaw (right), a forward from Hunstville, Ontario, led all league rookies with 22 points on eight goals and 14 assists and was fourth among all players with nine power play points.  Whitelaw was named the SUNYAC Player of the Week on February 1 and was a three-time SUNYAC Rookie of the Week selection.  He is the ninth Laker to be selected as Rookie of the Year and the seventh since the 2000-01 season. 



Captain Tyler Lyon (left), who hails from Foxboro, Ontario, anchored a defense that allowed the fewest goals in the league at 1.75 goals per game, and helped set up the offense for the top-scoring squad in the SUNYAC at 5.44 goals per game.  Lyon, who started all 16 conference games this season, was also a key figure in the Laker penalty kill.

Kyle Gunn-Taylor, an honorable mention selection, registered a conference record of 11-1-0 and posted a 1.69 goals against average, which was second among SUNYAC goalies, and a .927 save percentage.  The West Seneca, N.Y. native was also chosen as the SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week three times during the season.

Head Coach Ed Gosek (left) was chosen as the SUNYAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his seven-year tenure. Gosek led Oswego State to its first No. 1 seed in the SUNYAC Post-Season Tournament since 2003 despite 15 newcomers on the team.  His squad finished the season atop every conference team statistical category including scoring offense (5.44 goals per game), scoring defense (1.75 goals per game), power play efficiency (28.1 percent), and penalty kill (86.8 percent).  Gosek was named Coach of the Year for the 2004-05 season.

The Lakers start post-season play on Saturday when they face Morrisville at 7 p.m. in the semifinal round of the SUNYAC Playoffs.The game will be broadcasted live on Time Warner Cable Sports, WTOP-10, and on the radio on WNYO-FM 88.9.

Courtesy of Oswego State Sports Information