Friday night, one of the biggest rivalries in Div. III men’s ice hockey will occur once again as Oswego State hosts SUNY Plattsburgh in the annual Whiteout game.

The last two times these teams have played at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena, neither team walked away victorious. The two sides left the ice after overtime with both teams scoring three goals apiece in each contest.

“We definitely have that in the back of our mind [last two whiteout games],” said junior captain Chris Raguseo, who played in his first Whiteout game last spring.

Raguseo has never contributed on the score sheet against the Cardinals in front of a home crowd, but he has one career goal against the Lakers’ rival. The tally game in the team’s 3-1 victory in the North Country last December.

Freshman Cameron Berry is set to make his Whiteout debut on Friday. The Chandler, Arizona-native has anticipated playing in this game since his arrival in Oswego this fall.

“I know it’s a big experience here and I’m just really looking forward to it,” Berry said.  “I’ve heard a lot from the coaches and all of the teammates.”

Berry said that he has even talked to some of the older kids in his classes and asked them about the Whiteout experience. One sense of familiarity amongst the hype of the weekend for the rookie will be a potential matchup with Plattsburgh freshman Cole Stallard. Berry and Stallard faced off twice last season in the Eastern Hockey League as members of their respective teams, the Philadelphia Little Flyers and the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs.

Berry and the rest of the offense will be counted on this weekend to reignite the traditionally high-powered Laker offense. The team has average just 2.33 goals per game through its first three games, which is tied for 49th in Div. III. Last season, the team had the fourth-highest scoring offense in Div. III at 4.46 goals per game.

“[We are] not starting off the season as we expected, but we’re getting the chances,” Raguseo said. “It’s just a matter of putting the pucks in the net. We’re hitting a lot of posts. Hopefully the puck bounces in our favor.”

Another shortcoming for Oswego State thus far has been its struggles on the power play. The Lakers converted on 32.3 percent of their man advantage chances last year, while burying two power play goals on 11 chances this year.

This may be a result of the loss of Bobby Gertsakis to graduation following last season. Gertsakis played the point on the first man-up unit. As the main distributor during these scenarios, the senior had the most experience with the team and his trusted decision-making was a big reason. The talented defenseman was eventually voted a first team All-American.

As Raguseo will be stepping into that role now that he is healthy, he says focusing on his team’s game plan is the most important aspect.

“Obviously there is going to be a lot more noise out there; we’re going to use the extra energy in the building to our advantage,” Raguseo said. “In terms of our system and our work ethic, I think it should be no different than how we approach every other game.”

Head coach Ed Gosek is behind his team holding this demeanor, as well.

“Right now it doesn’t matter who is playing; we’ve got to get better,” Gosek said. “Our emphasis is all on ourselves and improving our play on both sides of the ice.”

The Lakers are off to an unusually slow start, going 1-1-1 in their first three games of regular season play, all of which have been in conference. With a tie against SUNY Geneseo, a win against The College at Brockport and a loss against SUNY Cortland, this game offers Oswego State a chance to build momentum after starting slow.

“We are putting some extra effort into everything, but we just need to get back on our own track again,” Berry said.

While Berry’s sentiment epitomizes the Lakers’ positive energy going into Friday’s game, the team’s head coach recognizes the difficulty that every game presents, a reality that is especially true against Plattsburgh.

“They’re disciplined, they’re skilled and they obviously work hard,” Gosek said. “They’re well coached and we’ve got to be a better team.”

Gosek also said getting an improved sense of team chemistry moving forward is vital to changing the outlook of the season.

Berry also believes that not only defeating Plattsburgh, but also Potsdam is important as the Lakers take on the Bears Saturday night at the Marano Campus Center Arena. Potsdam has been a surprise team so far, jumping out to a 4-0 start in the SUNYAC, which places them in first place after two weeks of regular season play.

“If we could get two wins right now, it would be huge for our season,” Berry said. “What a better place to do it than at home on Whiteout Weekend?”