Coming into the 2017-2018 men’s hockey season, there are question marks almost entirely down the line for this team. From goal scoring to goaltending, there are valid questions pertaining to the potential success of that specific part of the game or group.

One group that should see more steady success and consistency than others is the defensive core under head coach Ed Gosek and assistant coach Mark Digby this season.

Five defensemen are returning to the roster, including senior Devin Campbell, junior Kristoffer Brun and sophomores Chris MacMillan, Joey Rutkowski and Charlie Pelnik. Of those five, all played nearly regular minutes during the 2016-2017 campaign, aside from Pelnik.

MacMillan was one of four skaters to play in each of the 28 games last year and the only player who was not set to graduate at the end of the season. He comes into this year primed to be one member of the trio that could be the most reliable on the back end. This trio also includes Brun and Campbell. The high-energy defenseman Rutkowski can be added to that list as well. He could be a part of the top four this year after displaying his aggressive play and offensive eye for the game during his first year at Oswego State.

Pelnik only appeared in six games while registering 14 penalty minutes. He comes into this season as another question mark on this Laker team, but the once high-profile recruit from Cary, North Carolina, should be given the benefit of the doubt to be a productive, shut-down defender that the team can deploy throughout the season without too much worry.

Newcomers to this defense group includes Carter Allen from the Wellington Dukes, Tyler Currie, transferring from Adrian College, and Max Novick, out of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. With both Brun and Rutkowski coming off surgery in the off-season, these four skaters could see an extra workload in the early going.

“The young guys are going to get experience,” Gosek said. “I think, in the long run, it’ll pay dividends. They’re going to be put in some situations that they might not normally get early in the season.”

Allen and Campbell are two defenders Gosek pointed out individually who will be able to carry the load physically throughout the season. In regards to Campbell, Gosek said he can be a player who is one physical presence on the ice, but he alluded to the fact that Campbell needs to stay out of the penalty box. Over the course of the final five games, including postseason play, Campbell was guilty of eight penalties.

As far as the newcomer Allen goes, Gosek was impressed with the shape he is in and his physical style of play during junior hockey.

“I think a kid to watch is Carter Allen,” Gosek said. “He’s a rookie. He’s a freshman, but we recruited him for a specific reason. It’s not that he’s not a talented kid, but he’s in excellent condition and a physical specimen. He can play that game, and he’s got the body to play that game.”

With this defense and three goalies on the roster who are relatively inexperienced, it could be a rocky start to the season if things do not click.

“Obviously, the three things we can control are conditioning, our discipline and are we prepared and on the same page,” Gosek said. “Then it’ll come down to the things that were mentioned earlier: The experience [and] how quickly can our chemistry come together as a team. So, we’re focusing on the things we can control now.”

Between the three netminders, there is just 39:58 of ice time in Div. III hockey under their belts. All of that time belongs to sophomore goaltender Cedric Hansen in two games he came on in relief. David Richer was redshirted last year, and Teddy Nolan, a walk-on this season, has not played since high school and is currently on the Oswego State lacrosse roster as a goalie as well.

This unknown, in arguably the biggest area of need for any team, all circles back to the coaching staff. How will they do in preparing their team for the upcoming year?

“So hey, you got a young D core, and you got two untested goalies,” Gosek said. “We’re excited. We’re going to see what kind of coaches we are.”

Going off past experience and coaching resume, there are not many other coaching staffs in Div. III hockey that one would want mentoring an inexperienced team like this. 

Oswego State ended the season with the lowest goals allowed per game in the SUNYAC last season at 1.96. The next closest was Buffalo State at 2.33. Those numbers for the Lakers will be tough to replicate on the defensive end, but with a solid core of returners and some promising young skaters joining the defensive group, the Lakers should be able to hold their own and limit mistakes while moving the puck out of their own end and through the neutral zone in games this year.