The New Year didn’t start out too well for the Laker faithful. The Lakers fell 3-0 in Pittsburgh to the struggling Chatham Cougars. Shocking to some but after the long break anything in this game was possible. The Lakers will have a chance for redemption today as they square off against the Cougars again at 3 p.m.

One reason for the Lakers struggles could have been due to the absence of Rachel Lenard. The sophomore was third on the team with seven points and played well next to Brianna Rice for most of the early part of the season.  With Lenard transferring it will be a huge gap to fill for Oswego State and it’s interesting to see who will step up.

Mariah Madrigal got the start last night and allowed three goals on 20 shots. Not the best performance so expect Trovato to play today in goal. It’s always a question on who Coach Dillon starts, further continuing the goalie carousel.

Sydney Isbell stopped all 23 shots she saw in last night’s tilt including 11 in the final 20 minutes. Expect her to go again after posting the shutout. She was hardly tested in the first two periods so for her to be sharp in the third was huge for her team. Sometimes those games where goalies are cold are the toughest.

The first 40 minutes were very poor for the Lakers as they seemed to have reverted back to old ways. They picked up play in the third but it was too late and Isbell stood tall. It’s tough to determine why the Lakers were slow to start but it could be due to the fact that they were playing a poor team. That just goes to show you that you can’t take any team lightly.

In today’s game the Lakers need to score first or at least play a dominate first period. Oswego State struggles to score in the first but wears teams down and cashes in in the final two periods.  The Lakers have scored just five goals in the first but have 17 in the third period. A scary stat but also a good showing of this teams determination and ability to close out games.

The Cougars jumped out early scoring their first goal at the 6:51 mark of the first period and also tallied some insurance later that period, heading to the locker room with a 2-0 lead. For the Cougars to win again they will need to do more of the same. Try to bury the Lakers early and not allow them to climb out of the hole, that has to be their game plan. That’s something teams have done all year against Oswego State.

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Olivia Ellis

The superstar sophomore for the Lakers was completely held off the score sheet last night. Ellis failed to even record a shot and ended up with a -2 plus/minus rating. One of her worst games all year and that could be due to the long break. Nobody on the Lakers looked sharp so don’t put all the blame on one player but Ellis needs to step up. Look for her to get on the score sheet in one way or another.  Ellis has only one game all year where she recorded no shots on net.

Chatham University: Sydney Isbell

The Thunder Bay native blanked the Lakers last night for her first shutout of the season. If she plays well the Cougars will follow. It important for the Cougar D core to keep the Lakers to the outside, just like they did last night. If Isbell struggles I don’t see how the Cougars can win. I always hesitate to nominate goalies in this section but it’s her play that will determine the outcome of this game, or any goalie that plays for Chatham today.

By the Numbers

Standings

Lakers- 12 points [Tied for second place]

Cougars- 4 points [Sixth Place]

Goals Per Game

Lakers- 2.42

Cougars- 1.77

Power Play

Lakers- 9-46 (19.6%) [No. 21 in Div. III]

Cougars- 5-45 (11.1%) [No. 47 in Div. III]

Penalty Kill

Lakers- 22-27 (81.5%) [No. 43 in Div. III]

Cougars- 45-52 (86.5%) [No. 23 in Div. III]

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

Game Prediction

The Lakers need to rebound in this game and avoid an embarrassing sweep on the road. To do that they need to play a great first period. Oswego State was stagnant all game and didn’t make any offensive changes, that should be fixed today as the coaching staff had all night in their hotel to figure it out. It just doesn’t seem possible that this Oswego State team can lose two straight games to a team with only two wins within the ECAC West all year. It will be a close game until the third when the Lakers finally pull away and Isbell can’t withstand the Oswego State attack any longer.

Lakers win 3-1