Coming off a disappointing exhibition loss to the Barrie Junior Sharks on Oct. 24, Oswego State has a chance to rebound as it takes on the New England College Pilgrims on Friday.

In the exhibition game, the Lakers fell 4-2 despite creating a good amount of chances. They were plagued my defensive miscues and penalties all night.

Friday’s matchup will be a little different since with Oswego State beginning the regular season, even though the contest is non-conference. The Lakers should still be playing with the lines a bit but will treat this game as a tune up for league play. Their confidence should be riding high against a New England College team that comes to town after only winning one game last year.

The Pilgrims, members of the newly-formed New England Hockey League, finished the 2014-2015 season with a record of 1-15-1 in their final season as a part of the since-disbanded ECAC East. The Lakers should have an easy time killing off any future penalties as the Pilgrims only converted on 11 of 124 power play opportunities last season and the Lakers were tops in Div. III during the 2014-2015 season on the penalty kill.

The Pilgrims only scored more than one goal in seven contests last year and this bodes well for the Lakers. The Lakers had trouble scoring last year at points, especially off the rush. Those struggles continued in the team’s exhibition as it missed many scoring chances. This should mean the Lakers will have an easy time outscoring their visitors.

Senior captain Tori Trovato should be getting the start for the Lakers in net, while the Pilgrims have a tandem of freshman goalies this year and it’s uncertain who they will go with in their first contest.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Tori Trovato

The senior goalie finally starts her season as starter. This should be an easy test for Trovato and she very well could be head to her first shutout of the year, if she goes the distance. Look for her to make all the easy saves and few tough ones early if the Pilgrims come out hot.

New England College: Amanda McGoldrick

Coming off of an 11-point freshman season, which was best on the team. The skilled forward will look to use her size at 5 foot 7 to her advantage and improve on her point total from last year and avoid a sophomore slump. Look for her to be the Pilgrims best forward all night and give the Laker’ defense a challenge in their own zone.

Game Prediction 

Again, this match up shouldn’t be too much of a test for the Lakers but that seemed to be the case last week and they fell flat. The Lakers will have more of a feel for their systems in this game and this one goes up on their record. Look for the Lakers to finish strong and bury some more chances.

Final Score: Lakers win 4-1