Last Time Out

The Oswego State Lakers pulled only one game below .500 on the season after a 5-2 win over Utica College on Jan. 7. Amber Samonek continued her streak as the starting goaltender after an injury to Mariah Madrigal against Plattsburgh State in November. Andrea Noss led the team both on the puck, and on the faceoff. With a goal and two assists in the game on the Jean-Marie Padden goal and second Julieann White goal, as well as going 18-22 on the faceoff circle, Noss appears to have returned to full strength after the injury early in the first half of the season.

The SUNY Potsdam Bears last played on Jan. 9 against the Hamilton College Continentals and won 2-1 on home ice. The win over Hamilton College marked their third-straight win after wins against New England College and Becker College. Anna-Rose Bertin had a two-point performance with a goal and an assist on the Brenna Wilson goal, which was also the game-winner. Goaltender Samantha White allowed one goal on 23 shots.

Looking at the Bears

The SUNY Potsdam Bears are on a little bit of a roll, winning three-straight games. This is only their second game back from winter break for the Bears. The win against Hamilton College brought them to 8-4-1 overall. The Bears sit at fourth overall in the Northeastern Women’s Hockey League with a 1-4-1 conference record. They trail Oswego State who has six points in the conference.

Anna-Rose Bertin leads all scorers with nine points on the season. She is currently in a tie for second-most goals and assists, with four and five, respectively. She has one game-winning goal on the season, as well. Her two-point performance was her third multi-point game on the season, with two assists against St. Michael’s College on Oct. 27 and a goal and an assist against Buffalo State on Nov. 4.

Goaltender Samantha White played her sixth game of the season against Hamilton College, tallying her fourth win of the season. She last played on Dec. 2 against Plattsburgh State, resulting in a 4-1 loss to the Cardinals. She has the best goals against average with 1.59 and a .955 save percentage. She has the best goaltending record of the three goalies with a 4-1-1 season record, along with one shutout. Alexa Pfeiffer, a sophomore, has also played six games for the Bears, splitting time with White.

Lakers vs. Bears History

The Bears and Lakers have been playing each other since Lakers’ second season in existence during the 1975-1976 season. The two teams began playing as conference rivals since the 2008-2009 season as ECAC West opponents, and this season both are in the inaugural NEWHL season.

Oswego State defeated SUNY Potsdam the first time these two met during the 1975-1976 season by a score of 3-2. However, from the second time that season until the 2008-2009 season, the Lakers would not defeat the Bears. The closest they came was during the 1977-1978 season where they tied twice during the season. The Lakers faced defeats with astronomical amounts of goals during the 1980s, but only for the Bears. The worst loss the Lakers faced was 24-0 during the 1982-1983 season.

Overall, the Lakers are 13-22-4 against the Bears. Last season, they split the season series 1-1. The Bears defeated the Lakers at Oswego on TEAL Night, and in Potsdam, Oswego State won 3-2. Olivia Ellis notched an unassisted goal in the win. Mariah Madrigal made 23 saves during the game. Today’s game marks the first of four meetings in the regular season for the two teams.

Player Spotlight

OSW: Andrea Noss

Despite being injured for a couple games early in the season, Andrea Noss has made her presence known in recent games, especially on the faceoff. Head coach Diane Dillon called Noss a “gamer” earlier in the season. Before Dec. 2 against SUNY Cortland, Noss had not been below .500 for faceoff draws since Feb. 12 during the 2016-2017 season. She currently has five points on the season with three goals, two assists and an 18.8 shot percentage. She will look to continue her success after he three-point performance against SUNY Potsdam.

POT: Anna-Rose Bertin

With her third multi-point performance of the season, and her ninth of her career, Anna-Rose Bertin has proven to be a top scorer for the SUNY Potsdam Bears. This year, a senior and a captain, Bertin has led the team with four goals and five assists. She has been a top scorer throughout her career, and was third in points during her sophomore year and second in points during her junior campaign. She has a 9.8 shot percentage, and has had a very disciplined season with only four penalties.

By the Numbers

RECORD (vs. each other) [conference]

OSW: 6-7-0 (13-22-4) [3-3-0]

POT: 8-4-1 (22-13-4) [1-4-1]

GOALS (per game)

OSW: 24 (1.8)

POT: 27 (2.1)

SHOTS (per game)

OSW: 388 (29.8)

POT: 340 (26.2)

POWER PLAY (percentage)

OSW: 8-58 (13.8%)

POT: 5-53 (9.4%)

Prediction

While the history between the Lakers and Bears spans back to the 1970s, hockey is much different in 2018. In recent history, the Lakers have overpowered the Bears going 11-7-2 since the re-creation of the women’s ice hockey team during the 2006-2007 season.

It is hard to tell if Mariah Madrigal will make her first appearance since Nov. 18 against Plattsburgh State when she went down with an injury. Amber Samonek, who has been in net since then, has a good chance of starting. Head coach Diane Dillon said that Madrigal would return at the beginning of the new year, but now the team will play the waiting game until Madrigal returns from her knee injury.

SUNY Potsdam has been on a little bit of a hot streak and will be looking for their fourth-straight win against the Lakers. On the other side, Oswego State will look to hit .500 for the first time since Nov. 18, where they were 3-3 at the time. The Bears have not been strong in conference play, going 1-4-1 on the season, but have played tough teams within Plattsburgh State and Buffalo State. The Lakers are 3-3-0 in conference.

Lakers win 3-2.