The Oswego State men’s hockey team will look to get back to .500 today with a non-conference matchup against St. John’s University, in both team’s second game of the Raddison Thanksgiving Showcase at Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Last night against St. Thomas, Oswego fell 3-2 after surrendering a goal in the third period that put the team under .500, after back-to-back wins against SUNY Morrisville last weekend. Friday’s matchup was of equally-talented teams, as both St. Thomas and Oswego were just on the outside of the national rankings for Div. III with seven and six votes, respectively.
Both teams had 33 shots on goal and each team had one power play goal, but what killed the Lakers were little mistakes that could have significantly impacted the game. A near shorthanded goal by Mitchel Herlihey that went high and then a turnover in Oswego’s zone by Chris Raguseo that led to the final goal were two plays that heavily influenced the outcome of the game.
St. John’s also comes into today’s game also looking for a win, as the Johnnies fell to Utica College last night 4-2. The Pioneers jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but St. John’s was able to get a pair of goals back, including a shorthanded goal. However, Utica was able to dominate its opponent with size and strength, something that maybe the Lakers will take into consideration today.
Oswego is clearly the more talented team and has higher expectations with its incredible program history and will look to improve its nonconference resume with a victory of the Johnnies.
What to watch for:
Oswego head coach Ed Gosek said last night that there would be a new starter in the net for the Lakers tonight and that although Adrian Ignagni has played well, it is time for a change. Matt Zawadzki will be starting between the pipes tonight.
The goalie situation has been anything but consistent for the Lakers this year as returning starter and 2014/2015 second team All-SUNYAC goalie Zawadzki saw his fair share of early season struggles.
Prediction: Oswego State wins 2-1
St. Johns is one of the easier challenges the Lakers have seen so far this season and they should take advantage of that. While this team’s confidence is at a low point having not met expectations, this could be the game that propels them into a winning streak before winter break and their home tournament, the Pathfinder Classic.
Although Zawadzki has a tendency to play down to the opposition, he comes into this game with something to prove and has to play very well to earn his starting role.
Oswego has a struggled this season finishing shots near the net and will have to do so to beat the Johnnies, as that is how Utica won last night, with strength and aggressiveness near the net. Oswego will have to create some real offensive consistency rather than rifling shots from the blue line if they expect to win today.
Puck drop is at 4 p.m.
