In their first game off Thanksgiving break, the No. 5/7 Oswego State Lakers will have to face one of their toughest tests so far in the 2017-18 campaign with a road contest against conference rival No. 7/6 SUNY Geneseo at the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena. The break came at a good time for the Lakers, who are riding a four-game win streak, including two spirited conference wins on home ice during their last weekend of play against Buffalo State and SUNY Fredonia.

“I think mentally for us heading into the last two weeks of school with papers and finals, that this break usually comes at a good time for us,” Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said.

The Lakers’ win over SUNY Fredonia was an emotional one, being down 3-1 and coming back to win 5-3.

Coincidentally, this win mirrored a win that Oswego State had last season at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena against SUNY Geneseo. Following that win that put the Lakers at a record of 5-0-0, they rattled off five more consecutive wins on their way to being voted the top team in the country in both the USCHO.com and D3hockey.com polls.

For the Lakers, they can only hope to replicate the results they found after the win over SUNY Geneseo.

Oswego State has a similar scenario from earlier this season to draw experience from for their contest against the Ice Knights, with their 2-1 overtime loss on the road against the then-No. 9/10 Hobart College Statemen on Oct. 29.

“There are a lot of things we have been trying to get better at,” Gosek said. “Repetition and developing good habits are the things we’re practicing. Our mentality is to get better each and every shift.”

On the opposite side of the ice, SUNY Geneseo did not enjoy the same Thanksgiving break the Lakers did, with a road contest last weekend against Elmira College, who scored three unanswered goals to hand the Ice Knight’s their second loss of the season.

The 7-2-0 Ice Knights are leading the SUNYAC with 10 points, four more than the Lakers.

SUNY Geneseo has been the most statistically impressive team in the conference heading into this weekend, leading in goals (39), assists (73), goals per game (4.33), goals against average (1.89) and save percentage (.925).

Their two losses have come to inferior opponents, falling to teams who both have winning percentages below .500 in the Soaring Eagles and SUNY Fredonia. Something to note, however, is that both of these losses came away from the Ira. S. Wilson Ice Arena.

On home ice, SUNY Geneseo has compiled a record of 5-0-0, including impressive wins over then-No. 13/14 Plattsburgh State and Buffalo State.

In those five games, the Ice Knights have outscored their opponents by a total of 24-8 and did not allow more than two goals in any of those contests.

The Lakers have only had two road games so far this season, the aforementioned loss to Hobart College and a win over SUNY Cortland.

Oswego State tallied three goals against a weak SUNY Cortland team, but have yet to prove they can control a game on the road with limited opportunities.

The two games these teams played against each other last season were both intense, high-scoring affairs that saw Oswego State come away with a win and a tie that helped them finish with the best record in the conference.

The first game in Oswego was the 3-1 comeback that saw the Lakers win 5-3, while the second game featured the Ice Knights jump out to a 5-0 lead before Oswego State stormed back with five unanswered goals to send the game to an overtime period that resulted in a tie.

Both teams saw major turnover in the offseason, but remain two of the most talented teams in the SUNYAC.

“It’s all about our preparation,” Gosek said. “They’re a talented team, and I expect them to play well.”

Both teams will attempt to gather two important conference points before the Lakers head back home on Saturday to take on The College at Brockport, while SUNY Geneseo hits the road for a contest against SUNY Cortland.

Photo by: Greg Tavani | The Oswegonian