The Oswego State Lakers will have their biggest test of the season this weekend as they face the defending back-to-back National Champions in the Plattsburgh Cardinals. Plattsburgh comes in to this game holding a 9-0-0 conference record and are tied for first in the ECAC West.

The Cardinals are as hot as they can be and the Lakers are just starting to get back going again. In their last four games Plattsburgh has outscored opponents 27-1. Looking at any team and knowing they are beating opponents so easily will scare anybody. Plattsburgh is also the top ranked team in the nation for Div. III. As of late the Lakers are playing the Cardinals closer so today will be a great game for hockey fans.

With the good defense of the Lakers and explosive offense of Plattsburgh it’s strength versus strength and could be who will make the first mistake. Last time these two teams met was in the ECAC West playoffs Oswego State scored first but faltered and lost 4-2 to end their season. Bridget Smith had a 48 save performance but it still wasn’t enough.

Whoever starts in goal for the Lakers, presumably Tori Trovato, will have to be nearly perfect today if she wants to knock off the best team in the nation. With the number of weapons Plattsburgh has it could be a long day for her in net.

One of those weapons is the ECAC West Player of the Week, Kayla Meneghin. She tallied five goals and four assists for a nine point week. Meneghin leads the team in points as a sophomore with 34 points in 16 games. The Cardinals have a grand total of nine players with double digit points, the Lakers have four.

Not by any means are the Lakers a bad team but Plattsburgh is just that good.  With the amount of scoring threats they have and goal tending it’s going to be tough to beat them are they are showing that every step of the way.  Camille Leonard has nine shutouts this year already. Both Cardinal goalies have a sub 1.00 GAA so either goalie you face will give you a tough time.

Oswego State is coming off 4-1 and 6-1 wins over Morrisville State so they showed they can score but will need to continue that today. The Laker locker room has to be confident coming in and that is a huge first step in knocking off the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Entire Laker defense

I’ve never nominated an entire group of players before but in today’s game they have to be the best they have ever been all season. Kendall Appelbaum, Jayme McCreary and the rest of the D core will have to limit the chances to the outside and not turn the puck over while breaking out. Last game the Lakers did a phenomenal job of keeping the puck in their own zone, causing turnovers before the blue line. I doubt that will happen again because the defense will be more conservative due to the high octane offense of Plattsburgh but they will need that same aggressiveness in different areas of their game.

Plattsburgh State: Giovanna Senese

During last year’s playoff match-up Senese scored the game winner. This season she is third on the team in goals with nine and still has that scoring touch. The senior will be all over the ice tonight and continue to keep firing the puck at the net, which all Cardinals do. Plattsburgh wears teams down because of their ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Look for her to help spearhead this Cardinal attack and be an impact player on the other side of the puck as well.

By the Numbers

Standings

Lakers- 13 points [Third Place]

Cardinals- 18 points [Tied for First Place]

Goals Per Game

Lakers- 2.60

Cardinals- 5.38

Power Play

Lakers- 11-53 (20.8%) [No. 13 in Div. III]

Cardinals- 21-63 (33.3%) [No. 1 in Div. III]

Penalty Kill

Lakers- 30-35 (85.7%) [Tied for No. 24 in Div. III]

Cardinals- 49-51 (96.1%) [No. 1 in Div. III]

Game Prediction

Oswego State isn’t a slouch of a team but Plattsburgh is just better. They are ranked first in almost every statistical category and score more than five goals a game. It will be a tough game for the Lakers to win but they have a shot if the goal tending can hold up. Oswego State is usually the team that out shoots their opponents so it will be interesting to see how their offensive attacks matches up against this Cardinal team.  The depth of Plattsburgh also matches up well against the Lakers. Oswego State won’t get out worked but may get out skilled. An unbeaten record is on the line but will stay that way after today.

Cardinals win 4-1