After a 41 day break in between games the Lakers are finally back in action today at the Alpha Ice Complex as they take on the Chatham University Cougars. Oswego State comes into today’s game with a five game winning streak to their name. The Cougars, on the other hand, have only one conference win all year. This should be a good tune up for the Lakers after the lengthy rest.

After some early season struggles Coach Dillon and her team have seem to have ironed out any wrinkles in their game. A big part of this has been good goaltending and tight defense. Oswego State has not allowed more than one goal in every game of their streak. Mariah Madrigal posted two shutouts in that span and Tori Trovato put up one. For that reason it’s tough to decide who starts tonight but if I would have to venture a guess it would be the captain, Trovato.

Chatham is also coming off two straight wins against Morrisville State College, a non-conference opponent. An extended break for them as well so it will be interesting to see how these two teams respond in the first period and the rest of the game.

As the season progresses the Lakers have been getting more patient each game and that allows them to create more quality offensive chances. It hasn’t been all consistent. They go through spurts where Coach Dillon isn’t happy with the offensive set-up but overall it has been a steady growth.   One reason for that is the rejuvenation of Andrea Noss and Olivia Ellis. Those two played well together all last year and it has picked up right where it was left off. All teams have to put extra emphasis when they are out on the ice and the two should give Chatham a handful tonight.

Chatham’s offensive struggles should be on full display tonight if the Oswego defense can play up to their potential. The Cougars do not have a single player with double digit points and 15 players with less than five points. Chatham has also only scored more than two goals in a single game four times. With that being said, it looks like it could be an easy go of it for the Lakers tonight but because of the long break it could get interesting.

Sydney Isbell looks like she will start for the Cougars tonight. Her numbers all year haven’t been stellar, but not terrible. The other option in net is Kasandra Peterson. She holds a 3-2 record with .923 save percentage and a 1.99 goals against average. Either goalie will have to stand tall tonight if they want a win.

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Brianna Rice

The ex Chatham University student will have a little extra incentive tonight as she squares off with her former team. In her only season as a Cougar the freshman led the team in scoring with 11 goals and 18 total points. Already 11 games into this year she has 10 points. Look for her to continue her dominating performance as of late. Rice carries a three game goal streak right now and could stretch it to four tonight.

Chatham University: Kristina Block

The freshman has appeared in all 12 games and leads her class with five points. The young core is the highlight of this Cougars team so they will have to play well tonight, led by Block. Her ability to find open players is something many freshman struggle with at times.

By the Numbers

Standings

Lakers- 12 points [Tied for second place]

Cougars- 2 points [Ninth place]

Goals Per Game

Lakers- 2.6

Cougars- 1.67

Power Play

Lakers- 9-43 (20.9%) [No. 17 in Div. III]

Cougars-4-42 (9.5) [No. 51 in Div. III]

Penalty Kill

Lakers- 20-24 (83.3%) [Tied for No. 37 in Div. III]

Cougars- 42-49 (85.7%) [No. 28 in Div. III]

*Standings are their spot in the ECAC West unless specified otherwise.

Game Prediciton

The first goal is huge in this game. The Lakers are 7-0-0 when scoring first and have yet to win a game when allowing the first goal. Chatham is 4-1-0 when scoring first. Both teams are heating up lately but we’ll see how these long breaks affect both teams. Obviously the Lakers have had a better season and are more talented but this long awaited return of hockey could make things interesting. The goalie carousel continues in Oswego but both are paying well so it shouldn’t be much of a factor.   With Chatham’s inability to score consistently it may be a rough go for them against the strong Laker defense.  Oswego State also has many scoring weapons that should give the Cougars fits. Oswego State will come out of the break right where they left off.

Lakers win 4-0