Whiteout

Over the last week, the Oswegonian has extensively covered the difficulty that Oswego State has had in the Whiteout contest in recent years. The magnitude of this contest does not need much explanation, other than the fact that Oswego State and Plattsburgh State have one of the most storied rivalries in all of Div. III hockey. The atmosphere in the sold out Marano Campus Center Ice Arena will be enough to cancel out every outside factor heading into this game. The No. 3/4 Lakers, who are coming off a stunning loss on home ice last night against SUNY Potsdam, will be looking to get back on a winning track before their playoff run as the SUNYAC’s top seed. Plattsburgh State, who tied SUNY Cortland on the road last night, has yet to clinch a playoff spot with only one night left in the season. Currently, the Cardinals have a two point cushion over SUNY Fredonia for sixth place, which puts them in position for the conferences final playoff seed. A win tonight will lock down a spot in the post season, but a loss combined with a SUNY Fredonia win could leave them on the outside looking in.

SUNYAC Standings

Storylines

The Lakers got shut out last night for the first time since Jan. 25, 2014, when they fell 4-0 on the road to the Buffalo State Bengals. That is a long time. With such a bad loss fresh on their minds, Oswego State will need to recapture the scoring touch they had early in the season, or risk falling flat come playoff time like what happened to them last season.

Plattsburgh State needs this game. They can make it if SUNY Morrisville is able to shock SUNY Fredonia tonight, regardless of whether they win or not. But, no team, especially one led by legendary head coach Bob Emery, wants to back into the playoffs fresh off a loss to their most bitter rival.

The Oswego State power play has gone scoreless in their last 11 attempts, which is unacceptable for a team that is ranked in the top five of both national polls. Their special teams woes are definitely something to monitor today, as Lakers head coach Ed Gosek will certainly be looking for improvement.

Lineup Card

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The only change tonight for Oswego State is Tommy Horn coming in for Joey Scorpio. With Huffnagle out due to injury, expect this to be the lineup for the Lakers playoff run.

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Players to Watch

OSW- David Richer

The redshirt sophomore talked this week about how he knew he would get the start for the Whiteout game when he was forced to watch from the sidelines last year due to NCAA restrictions. Tonight, he has his chance. Despite a loss last night, Richer played a solid game and gave his team a chance to win, which is all any goaltender can be asked for. Watch to see how Richer reacts to tonight’s atmosphere.

PLA- Jimmy Poreda

Just like Richer, Poreda will be playing in his first Whiteout game tonight. It is very unlikely the Tonawanda, New York, native has ever played in an environment like Whiteout Weekend. This could be the freshman’s first of many Whiteout contest’s, so tonight could be telling for his future in the Plattsburgh State crease.

Prediction

Nobody except the SUNY Potsdam Bears themselves thought Oswego State would be held scoreless last night, showing how hard it really is to predict a college hockey game. With that said, all logic points to the Lakers playing like the talented team they are and coming out with everything they have to crush the Cardinals playoff hopes. The atmosphere of Whiteout throws all logic to the wind, but it outlandish to think Oswego State will come out flat two nights in a row during the biggest weekend of the season.

Oswego State wins 3-1.