History

The Lakers only have five wins through 10 years and 11 seasons in the annual Whiteout Game at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena. Oswego State’s senior class has not won a game in that span either, going 0-1-2 with an overtime loss in their three prior Whiteout games.

Tonight marks a new chapter, with what could be, a final one for this senior class. Can they finally get over that obstacle the last time they may see the Cardinals on home ice?

We will find out tonight.

Fast Start

Oswego State has been coming out of the gate hot as of late. Goals in the first three minutes have been the norm. Tonight should be no different. Last year’s Whiteout game saw Oswego State jump out to a 2-0 lead just 1:10 into regulation.

That game did not end the way Laker fans would have liked, but a quality start will be key for both teams tonight to settle the nerves in front of this crowd. Oswego State is 12-0-0 when the scoring first this season, while SUNY Plattsburgh is 9-1-0 in the same scenario.

Special Teams

Oswego State was not good on the penalty kill Friday night. The Cardinals were excellent in their game with the man advantage, scoring three times to help take down SUNY Cortland, 4-3.

Allowing three goals on four attempts to the 45th-ranked power play in the nation is not a good sign. The Lakers dropped seven places in penalty killing after last night, while SUNY Potsdam moved eight spots in power play efficiency.

SUNY Plattsburgh is one spot ahead of the Bears in that category now. If the Lakers are lacking while a man down and do not stay disciplined, they could be in for a miserable night. The Oswego State penalty kill is 4-9 in its last two games. This penalty kill has been rock solid through most stretches this season, and it needs to be corrected tonight.

Lineup Card

TJ Sneath in for Mitch Emerson and Devin Campbell in for Joey Rutkowski are the only lineup changes tonight. Rutkowski was given a game misconduct last night and is not eligible to play.

David Jacobson will start. Matt Zawadzki left last night’s game with a lower-body injury and will not dress tonight. Brady Rouleau will start for the 14th time this season. He is 8-4-1 with a 3.07 goals against average and a .880 save percentage.

Players to Watch

OSW: David Jacobson

Jacobson was forced to enter last night’s game and was solid until the three goals allowed while shorthanded. He has not been his regular self as of late. If Oswego State wants to make a run, Jacobson will need to be sharp tonight and begin building upon that. He beat the Cardinals earlier in the year on the road, making 17 saves and allowing one goal.

PLT: Jakob Engvall

The 6’7” defenseman could be a spark plug for the Cardinals tonight. His size and ability to throw his body around could be a tool to get his team settled and help silence the crowd.

The Swedish-born sophomore has appeared in 28 games in his Cardinal career and has one goal and 4 assists to his name.

By the Numbers

Record

OSW: 16-3-1/11-1-1 (No. 2) [1st in SUNYAC]

PLT: 12-8-1/7-4-1 [T-3rd in SUNYAC]

Shots per Game

OSW: 36.6

PLT: 36.8

Shots Against per Game

OSW: 22.8

PLT: 26.6

Goals per Game

OSW: 4.95 [T-1st in Div. III]

PLT: 3.62 [23rd in Div. III]

Goals Against per Game

OSW: 2.10 [11th in Div. III]

PLT: 3.48 [57th in Div. III]

Power Play

OSW: 24-90 (26.7%) [6th in Div. III]

PLT: 20-107 (18.7%) [36th in Div. III]

Penalty Kill

OSW: 80-95 (84.2%) [24th in Div. III]

PLT: 86-108 (79.6%) [48th in Div. III]

*Overall Statistics from USCHO.com

Game Prediction

This will be a wild one for sure. A game to remember, as almost all Whiteout games are. It is hard to picture these rivalry games being one sided, but the game earlier this season was. Tonight, that will not be the case. SUNY Plattsburgh has been slowly improving during their season that has been filled with underachieving.

Special teams will play a huge role, especially an improved Laker penalty kill,  and Jacobson gets back on the horse.

Lakers win 4-3