Hockey fans can feel the excitement in the air as the biggest game of the regular season approaches. On Friday night, Oswego State will take on conference rival SUNY Plattsburgh for the annual Whiteout game.
Head coach of the Plattsburgh Cardinals, Bob Emery, talked about what the rivalry means in its entirety.
“It’s great for the fans, great for the towns, great for the schools,” Emery said.
Emery has a 562-177-59 career record and is the winningest coach in the school’s program. That record is good enough for him to rank in the top five in history of all NCAA hockey coaches.
For players, this is a matchup they look forward to each and every year. Over the last two seasons, each Whiteout game has ended in a tie. The Lakers and the Cardinals always seem to finish in the top of the SUNYAC standings, having won every SUNYAC Championship since the 2006-2007 season.
Despite the background behind this game, Emery and his coaching staff feel this game is one of the easiest to command behind the bench.
“Honestly, the games like this, Plattsburgh [vs.] Oswego, are the easiest games to coach,” Emery said. “You don’t have to say much. The players already know the rivalry, they know what it stands for, they know the success with both programs. The tougher games to coach are the ones you are supposed to win.”
Emery also realizes the game isn’t about him. He gets to be a part of it every year. The players are a part of it for only a limited time, so for them it means that much more. This rivalry is also for the fans and the community.
“The game isn’t about me and Ed Gosek,” Emery said. “The game is about the players and the fans, we are just fortunate enough to have jobs that we like going to work every day. It’s not about us.”
A big key to this game is Oswego State goalie, Matt Zawadzki. He holds a 3-1-2 record over his collegiate career against Plattsburgh. His play in between the pipes could be the difference at the end of the game.
“The way the game is played now, we have to get a lot of shots on net no matter who the goalie is,” Emery said. “We have to take his eyes away from him, we need to get some traffic in front of the net and get some rebounds.”
The Lakers are off to a slow start and have dropped to fifth in the SUNYAC standings while Plattsburgh remains undefeated at 3-0-0 this year, outscoring their opponents 15-5 in those games. The Cardinals’ coaching staff still expects the team to go out and work hard.
“I don’t expect my guys to win,” Emery said. “I expect my guys to go out and play good, sound, fundamental hockey. Sacrifice and work hard, that’s what my expectations are.”
Even though this is just the fourth contest of the year for both teams, the Lakers and the Cardinals know that it is bigger than just the rivalry. It means a lot for the standings and the polls. This game early in the year matters just as much as the February games when they roll around.
“Both Ed and I have been coaching long enough to know that one win [or] one loss here or there against any team, not just Oswego or Plattsburgh, can keep you out of the tournament,” Emery said. “So, every game is huge, every game is worth two points. You want to go out there and hope your team is ready to roll and sacrifice and put their bodies on the line to get those two points no matter who you play.”
