Only four wins separate the Oswego State men’s hockey team and seven other programs from a national championship. Four other teams need just three victories to be able to hoist this year’s trophy at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. This quest for a national championship kicks off Saturday, and preparation has been rigorous on all fronts to ensure the Lakers make the most of their at-large bid.
Monday was back to day one, filled with hard work.
Tuesday head coach Ed Gosek and assistant coach Mark Digby made the trek to Ontario, Canada, for a recruitment trip to scout Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff action.
Digby was dropped off in Trenton to watch game three of the Trenton Golden Hawks and Newmarket Hurricanes’ playoff series. Gosek continued the drive west to catch the Wellington Dukes take on the Whitby Fury in Whitby, Ontario. To cap it all off, the drive back to Oswego was through a rainstorm.
The players had Tuesday off, but the coaching staff was planning for the future, as all top-tier Div. III programs do. Although Oswego State still has a playoff game to prepare for this Saturday.
On Wednesday the team resumed practice and it continued the same intense tempo as Monday’s sessions.
“We’re not in some coast mode,” Gosek said. “We’re full-fledged, foot on the gas pedal and hopefully we’ll have enough juice in the tanks come Saturday night. But we’ve got some jump left. It’s not some pre-game skate out there.”
The Lakers are back in the NCAA tournament after a one-year hiatus. This season is the seventh time in the last eight years that Gosek’s teams have advanced past SUNYAC postseason play. After another crushing loss to rival SUNY Plattsburgh in the SUNYAC Championship Final, Oswego State will get all they can handle in the Continentals.
“You have to have enough guys doing the right things and last Saturday night we didn’t,” Gosek said. “It’s hard to admit as a coach. It’s our responsibility to make sure that our team is prepared, and for whatever reason we didn’t have the same jump and intensity that we had when we went up to their building first semester.”
The inability to match the Cardinals’ effort and willingness to block shots and battle for pucks at any turn cost the Lakers a chance at bringing home the 2017 SUNYAC title. Despite the second loss to SUNY Plattsburgh, the Lakers can start fresh this weekend.
“[SUNY Plattsburgh] played with that desperation that we lacked,” graduate assistant Jon Whitelaw said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us, but now we got a second chance and our backs’ against the wall. Hopefully we can play with that same desperation.”
The Lakers’ second chance will come against a team that has never had a taste of NCAA tournament play. Oswego State has that experience, with 11 skaters having played in a Div. III NCAA tournament game.
“I would hope that our seniors use their experience and draw from their experiences of the previous two NCAA tournaments on how to handle emotions, how to play within your system, how to bring that enthusiasm and excitement but channel it the right way,” Gosek said.
The book on Hamilton College has shades of SUNY Plattsburgh’s. Both teams take advantage of mistakes and are good in their systems with sound defense.
“We’ve been watching the tape,” Whitelaw said. “They’re a fast team. They play a fast game. Actually it’s kind of similar to Plattsburgh. It’s kind of a good thing I guess, seeing as we can obviously learn from our mistakes from last week and play a team that is fairly similar.”
Hamilton College also has the NESCAC Player of the Year between the pipes. Evan Buitenhuis led all goaltenders in the conference with a 1.52 goals against average and a .948 save percentage. On top of facing another steady goaltender, the Lakers will also have to handle the speed the Continentals bring.
“They work hard, they’re gritty,” Whitelaw said. “A lot of their players are prep school kids so they can definitely fly up and down the ice. They don’t give you much time to do anything. We’re prepared for that. It’s going to be a real gritty, in your face game, and hopefully we’ll be able to set the tone for the game and not have to play to their pace.”
The Lakers were given a second chance at glory with their Pool C selection from the NCAA committee. Each game is now do or die for every team. Even with this, Gosek is still maintaining a positive approach.
“What’s there to be negative about,” Gosek said. “You’re one of 12 teams that gets an opportunity to play for national championship.”
It all starts with a 7 p.m. puck drop at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena on Saturday, the No. 4/5 Oswego State Lakers taking on the No. 9/11 Hamilton College Continentals.
