Tonight at 7 p.m. at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena, the Oswego State men’s ice hockey team will host the Buffalo State Bengals in a SUNYAC conference matchup.
The Lakers come into tonight’s matchup with a 4-4-1 overall record (3-3-1 in SUNYAC) and the Bengals are 4-3-3 overall (2-2-1). Oswego currently sits at third place in the SUNYAC with seven points, while Buffalo State is sixth with five points.
Oswego finished last weekend’s Radisson Thanksgiving Showcase in Utica with a loss and a win, against St. Thomas and St. John’s, respectively.
Buffalo State lost its first game against current No. 2 team St. Norbert last Friday, but came back strong on Saturday and tied the Green Knights 2-2, which is by far the most impressive game of the season for the Bengals.
Oswego is the clear superior team in tonight’s matchup, but expectations have fallen short for the Lakers this year and this could be a trap game for a team trying to crawl its way back in both the SUNYAC rankings and the national rankings.
Team Statistics:
Goals Per Game:
Oswego State – 2.78 [43rd in Div. III]
Buffalo State – 3.60 [21st in Div. III]
Goals Allowed Per Game:
Oswego State – 2.22 [15th in Div. III]
Buffalo State – 2.80 [38th in Div. III]
Power Play:
Oswego State – 5 of 27 (18.52 %) [34th in Div. III]
Buffalo State – 6 of 53 (11.32%) [55th in Div. III]
Penalty Kill:
Oswego State – 26 of 31 (83.9%) [36th in Div. III]
Buffalo State – 47 of 57 (82.5%) [46th in Div. III]
What To Watch For: It seemed as if Matt Zawadzki regained his starting role last weekend after a shutout against St. John’s, but junior Adrian Ignagni will be starting between the pipes tonight for Oswego. The Div. I transfer from Niagra University is 2-1-0 this year in his three starts and has stopped over 93 percent of the shots he has faced.
It still remains to be seen why Zawadzki will not be playing tonight, whether he was injured during this week of practice or if he was benched for academic/disciplinary reasons, it comes at a crucial point in the Lakers’ season. There has not been a goalie yet this season to step up and separate himself as the starter. Head coach Ed Gosek will need to find one heading into the final weekend of conference play before winter break as the Lakers will be facing a very tough non conference schedule during December and January.
Prediction: Oswego State – 4, Buffalo State – 4
Although Ignagni has played well this season, there was a reason that Gosek decided to start Zawadzki last Saturday. Along with the uncertainty in the net and the injuries to both the offense and defense that may have the Lakers not at 100 percent tonight, Buffalo State can still a point on the road.
The Bengals are on a high note after proving themselves against one of the nation’s elite, in St. Norbert and should have the confidence to compete with anyone they step on the ice with. The Bengals will look to avenge three losses to the Lakers last year and move up in the SUNYAC standings.
