Last Time Out

The Oswego State Lakers had a weekend series against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals. After a dominating 6-2 victory for the Cardinals, where Olivia Ellis scored the 100th point of her career, the Lakers came back to tie No. 1/2 Plattsburgh State on Saturday 2-2. Victoria Blake scored a goal with 16.8 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Despite having a power play that lasted until the end of the five-minute overtime period, Julieann White and Laura Thacker could not score to upset the defending national champions.

On Feb. 3, SUNY Cortland fell to the hands of Buffalo State 3-2. The Red Dragons gave up two unanswered goals within three minutes during the third period and allowed the Bengals to come back after a 2-1 deficit. Miranda Kolb scored her 11th goal of the season, and Kirsten MacDowell scored as well. Rachel Farmer made 24 saves in the loss, and now has a 7-12-2 record on the season.

Looking at the Red Dragons

The SUNY Cortland Red Dragons sit in fifth place in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League standings. Currently, they are the only team that will be left out of the playoffs in late February. They trail SUNY Potsdam by three points.

Miranda Kolb leads the team in points with 21. She also has a team-leading 11 goals and 10 assists. Kolb has almost doubled her point total form last season, which was 11. She is a little less than halfway to the career point record (since 2001-2002), which is 67 and held by Dani Blanchard who graduated in 2006. Kolb, a sophomore, has two more years to accomplish the feat. Emily King is second on the team with 13 points, and Kirsten MacDowell has 10.

Rachel Farmer has played all but 24:36 for the Red Dragons this season. The last time she did not play in a game was nearly a year ago on Feb. 18, 2017. She has played 1,248 of the possible 1,273 minutes this season. Farmer has a 2.79 goals against average, and a .904 save percentage.

SUNY Cortland is currently on a three-game losing streak, and have not won since a 1-0 victory over the SUNY Potsdam Bears on Jan. 26.

Lakers vs. Red Dragons History

The Red Dragons are one of the few teams that has played when the original Lakers’ program played in the 1970s and the 1980s. Since 1977, the Lakers and Red Dragons have played 37 games with the Lakers taking a 19-10-8 advantage.

Prior to a loss to SUNY Cortland during the 2014-2015 season, the Lakers had not lost to the Red Dragons since the 1981-1982 season where they lost 18-0. They had a 19-game point-streak against the Red Dragons in between the losses.

Olivia Ellis, since her freshman season, has had eight points against SUNY Cortland, tallying two goals and six assists, with a two-assist performance in the ECAC West Championships during her freshman campaign.

Mariah Madrigal has a mere two complete games in her career against the Red Dragons. She a played 40 minutes of a game during her freshman season, and was credited with the loss. Throughout the three games, she’s made 34 saves with a .924 save percentage. She has a 1.00 goals against average.

Player Spotlight

OSW: Olivia Ellis

While Olivia Ellis has claimed her name in the spotlight a lot this past week, this will most likely not be the last time her name is heard across Oswego State. Ellis, who notched the 100th point of her career against Plattsburgh State, will look to increase her point total that has already surpassed numerous players in women’s hockey history. She is considered one of the best players to come through the dressing rooms of the women’s hockey program at Oswego State.

COR: Miranda Kolb

Sophomore Miranda Kolb is on her way to becoming a top player for the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. She has led the team in points the past two seasons, and is a little less than halfway to the career points record (since 2001-2002). She is a dominant player all around, both with goals and assists, and also has four multi-point games on the season. Kolb will be heavily watched after scoring a goal against Buffalo State on Feb. 3.

By the Numbers

RECORD (vs. each other) [conference]

OSW: 8-11-2 (19-10-8) [4-7-1]

COR: 7-12-2 (10-19-8) [2-11-1]

GOALS (per game) [against each other this season]

OSW: 44 (2.1) [5 / 2.5]

COR: 37 (1.8) [1 / 0.5]

SHOTS (per game) [against each other this season]

OSW: 625 (29.8) [66 / 33.5]

COR: 523 (24.9) [21 / 10.5]

POWER PLAY (percentage) [against each other this seaosn]

OSW: 13-93 (14.0%) [1-6 / 16.7%]

COR: 15-100 (15.0%) [0-4 / 0.0%]

Prediction

In the modern era, the Lakers have proven dominance over the Red Dragons. They have an 18-1-8 record against SUNY Cortland since head coach Diane Dillon brought the program back to Oswego State in 2006.

Olivia Ellis and Mariah Madrigal will have to be strong once again, since SUNY Cortland is fighting for the fourth playoff position in the NEWHL. They currently sit three points behind SUNY Potsdam, who is playing Plattsburgh State this weekend.

Miranda Kolb will be a player to watch with senior-level skills during her sophomore season. Taking advantage of Rachel Farmer, who has only had one period of rest, will be key for the Lakers during the afternoon matchup.

Lakers win 4-1.