The Oswego State women’s ice hockey team saw a large recruiting class last season bringing in nine freshmen for the 2016-2017. Former Laker Jacquelin White was third on the team with 28 points and led the team in goals with 15. White was the only one of the nine to leave Oswego State, leaving the Lakers with her twin sister, Julieann White.

This season, head coach Diane Dillon had the same mindset. She brought in seven freshmen, four of which having at least one goal, with Jean-Marie Padden notching a second goal as well. Emma Morisette leads all rookies with four points on the season.

Besides Dillon, assistant coach Greg Haney always has a key part in the recruiting process. He and Dillon tend to split the process and this is his favorite part of the sport, getting to know the players and hoping they get to continue their passion for hockey at Oswego State, according to Haney. Both coaches said they have gotten what they expected out of these young players.

“We knew they were going to show up every day, and they were going to be in good shape,” Haney said. “They have a great attitude and want to win some hockey games. They’re doing good in the classroom, so I think that’s slowly starting to trickle over.”

From a majority of the freshman class, they primarily look up to seniors Olivia Ellis and Andrea Noss. Ellis was named captain this season and she also leads the team, along with Kate Randazzo, with six points. Despite an early injury, Noss has been a key player in the faceoff circle.

“[Ellis] is our captain, and she’s a really good leader,” Leah Czerwinski said. “I think she’s someone everyone looks up to.”

Dillon is hoping that the previous losses against Plattsburgh State and Williams College help teach the freshman class. The team faced three shutouts, along with a 7-1 loss against Williams College on Nov. 26. The Lakers lost 4-0 to the Cardinals twice, and the first game against the Ephs was a 5-0 loss.

“One of the things we shared with the team is that we book challenging non-conference games on purpose. We have to be able to play with the better teams and different styles,” Dillon said. “I think for the freshmen, it was an eye-opener. It was pretty much a reality check of how much harder we have to work.”

In the 7-1 loss, Czerwinski had the lone goal late in the second period against Williams College, after five straight goals from the Ephs. Morisette and Julieann White both had assists on the goal.

“It was fun for her to get her first goal, first and foremost,” Dillon said. “It was an effort goal. She got to a rebound and buried it. I think that’s her style of play. She’s kind of following in the footsteps of our captain. They’re sort of cut out of the same mold, in terms of their approach to the game.”

Earlier in the season, Dillon gave Padden a little more free reign in her offensive play to get used to the collegiate level style of play. However, she stated that the freedom might be pulled back a little now, in order to change general things on the team.

“We were just letting her find her way, offensively, letting her work with the puck a little bit,” Dillon said. “We’re looking to possibly make some new combinations on lines to get a spark some place.”

After the lull the Lakers have faced the past couple weekends, both Padden and Czerwinski agreed that they did not play their best. But they are looking forward to the conference games against SUNY Cortland.

“It can only go up from there. We’ve just got to keep working hard,” Czerwinski said. “We have two games this weekend, so hopefully we can sweep and get a good start when we come back from break.”

All seven of the freshmen this season have gotten some ice time so far this season. Dillon believes they are all starting to know what the expectations are for both the game and the team.

“They’re looking at the leadership of the team, trying to find direction in terms of what to do,” Dillon said. “What do we do after a tough road trip? It’ll be interesting to see how things go right after the weekend.”

Dillon also expects big things from her freshman class over the next three years in their Laker careers. She believes both the defensemen and forwards have potential to be great in the upcoming seasons.

“I think overall, they’re going to be a very seasoned sophomore group, and that only bodes well for the future,” Dillon said. “Being this young of a team and having that much time to play together each year should make this team stronger, and that’s what we’re hoping for.”

The Oswego State Lakers take on the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on Dec. 1 and 2. The Red Dragons are currently 2-4-2 on the season, after coming off of two conference losses against Buffalo State. The Lakers split the weekend against the Bengals earlier in November.

The first game of the weekend matchup will be played at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena at 7 p.m. The second game will be played at Cortland with a 2 p.m. puck drop.

Photo by: Taylor Woods | The Oswegonian