The Oswego State men’s club ice hockey team is looking to push further than they have the past couple seasons. After a few devastating early playoff losses in recent years, this season is all about the flow of the team. Second-year head coach, Chris Timmons, brought in 14 new players this season, ready to push team chemistry.
“We want to get the guys more in the flow early,” Timmons said. “It was kind of a challenge last year, getting them all in one system.”
Timmons, as well as his assistant Jordan Alhart, are both Oswego State alumni and were a part of the team. In their second season, it is all new faces on the roster.
“A new thing this year is definitely coaching without guys I know,” Timmons said. “It’s better to have fresh faces.”
Last season, the team was taken out early in the first round of the playoffs, against Canisius College in the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League playoffs. The team ended up losing in overtime.
“We just want to get over that first playoff game hump,” said Timmons. “Looking at this year, what we want to improve is consistency.”
With a new group of players coming in, sophomore Luke Myers is hopeful this upcoming season and wants to rebuild the team.
“Last year was a tough loss in overtime, we definitely thought of a bigger picture,” Myers said. “But this year, we’ve got a new group of guys. We’re just trying to find the team right now and build up strength.”
Myers currently leads the team in points with four (three goals, one assist), according to oswegostate.pointstreaksites.com. He played 17 games last year with only one point. With this being his second year in the league, he said he is a lot more comfortable on the ice.
“I think I found my click with a couple linemates,” Myers said. “The puck is bouncing my way, and I’m getting more opportunities this year.”
After taking a year off, junior forward Oscar Marchi, who has three points on the season (two goals, one assist), is also back. The Pleasantville, New York, native, is looking forward to a new coaching staff, as well as bringing in his own experience to the squad.
“I think the new coaching staff will take us in the right direction,” Marchi said. “I’m hoping my experience from freshman year can help the team score some goals and win some games.”
The Lakers opened up the season in Michigan for a weekend in late September. They faced Oakland College twice, a team that they do not see often. They split the weekend with a 1-1 record.
“We had an idea what Oakland was like since we played them last year. They’re very well skilled,” Timmons said. “So, going over there is just getting the guys ready to go and get these new guys ready to the college level. We played well overall and learned our strengths and weaknesses.”
According to Timmons and Marchi, there are some other top players this season. Daniel Kuter stands out on defense. He was a transfer from Lake Forest, where he played Div. III hockey.
Alex Gallose, who stands out at goaltender, currently has 150 saves on the season, including some impressive goaltending throughout the weekend at Michigan, gaining him the “Laker Hat,” which is something Timmons brought on in his first season last year.
“Usually with the hockey teams, every game has a game MVP,” Timmons said. “Every game has a team-voted player who is the MVP and earns the Laker Hat.”
Now, four games into the season, the team is 1-2-1, with a shootout loss to Cornell University. Timmons is trying to get his team ready for this season and move further than the first round.
“The plans are to try to get the team in the system early and really promote camaraderie,” Timmons said. “As a goal, we want to try to take our league and go farther than the first round of playoffs.”
The Lakers take on Temple University next, on Oct. 6 at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena with an 8:30 p.m.
Photo provided by Dori Gronich
