The state of the No. 9/9 Oswego State men’s hockey team has undergone a significant change over the span of three weeks, but there may not be as much cause for worry as there appears to be following three consecutive losses.

In the third and most recent edition of the NCAA regional rankings, Oswego State remained in the fourth spot despite its SUNYAC semifinal 3-1 loss to the fifth-seeded SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils on Feb. 24 at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena.

Maintaining that ranking, as well as staying above other teams who have surpassed them in the d3hockey.com and U.S. College Hockey Online polls, is telling in regard to how the NCAA feels about the resumé the Lakers put together throughout the entirety of the season.

“I would feel pretty good about it, but it’s not bulletproof,” managing editor of d3hockey.com Ray Biggs said via Twitter direct message regarding the Lakers’ odds for an at-large bid. “A lot can still be done to protect those last few bubble teams, of which Oswego holds up the top end of that grouping right now.”

Following the Lakers’ recent skid, the rankings were a pleasant surprise for Oswego State senior captain Mitchell Herlihey.

“We’ve been following [the rankings] a little more than usual this week because that’s the only thing keeping the season going,” Herlihey said. “We got some good news yesterday with them keeping us fourth in the east rankings. I don’t think we were expecting to still be ranked that high, so it was definitely a positive week.”

As far as what would have to happen for Oswego State to be omitted from the tournament by the selection committee, at least two of the projected conference champions who have a better regional ranking will have to lose during championship weekend. As of now, it is clear the odds play in favor of the Lakers.

“Conference title wins by [the University of New England], Hobart, Trinity, Geneseo go a long way, as they’re the high ranks left in their leagues,” Biggs said.

These wins and losses by other teams is significant because of the way 12 bids are allocated by the NCAA.

Pool A consists of the seven conference champions who receive an automatic bid. There is only one Pool B bid, which is awarded to the best UCHC, WIAC or independent team.

The remaining four at-large bids are given to Pool C teams, which is comprised of the best teams to not win a conference championship. Since they are no longer in contention for the SUNYAC title, Oswego State is now vying for a Pool C bid.

Regardless, an 18-6-2 record before NCAA tournament play is impressive considering the graduation of 12 seniors who combined for over 70 percent of last season’s point total. This, on top of a goaltending duo who had a combined two NCAA periods under their belts before the season started, made it appear that the Lakers would be heading into a down season.

Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek, who is waiting to hear if his 15th season at the helm of the Lakers will continue, had little expectations heading into the season.

“There were no expectations for anything,” Gosek said. “There was no pressure. There was no expectations. Those guys in the locker room made their own expectations and it worked.”

Gosek also referenced the 19 freshmen and sophomores who comprise the majority of the roster as a reason for the success they had this season.

“We have a lot of players returning that had to bide their time because of the large senior class that we had last year,” Gosek said in an interview on Oct. 16, 2017. “Our expectations are that we’ll improve, and as always, it’s the same answer I’ve given since 2003, but we’ll try to position ourselves for home ice in the playoffs.”

That is exactly what his team was able to accomplish, capturing the first seed in the SUNYAC playoffs with a 13-2-1 record in conference play during the regular season.

Throughout the season, there were certain moments that solidified the Laker’s status among the top teams in Div. III, which is what the committee values about Oswego State’s resumé.

“Us staying fourth is certainly a reflection of our body of work,” Gosek said. “We obviously don’t like losing the last three games, but if you look at other teams who lost their games in the beginning of the season, it shouldn’t really be a difference on when you lose them.”

The three consecutive losses doubled their total from the first 20 games of the season, which is what makes their record stand out. Their 3-1-2 record against ranked opponents leaves them in the upper echelon of teams looking for a Pool C bid.

Oswego State had a string of conference wins in the middle portion of the season that established their confidence as a team.

“The trip up North against Potsdam and Plattsburgh, we played really good hockey,” Herlihey said. “It’s very hard to get both wins up there. Every year, it’s a hard thing to do. That’s when I realized we got a good group here and we could do some good things.”

Ironically, those same two teams that Oswego State played their best hockey against are the teams who began the Lakers’ current slide during their visits to the Marano Campus Center during the weekend of Feb. 9 and 10.

“We thought we played good enough to win,” Herlihey said. “We were just a little out of sync offensively, but we played very well defensively. Pucks didn’t go our way, and they wouldn’t go in. We hit a couple posts. It does suck, especially with so much hype around the weekend and not being able to win or score a goal. It definitely messed around with our confidence a little bit.”

Even though the Lakers followed up Whiteout Weekend with the loss to SUNY Fredonia, Herlihey saw some bright spots for the team.

“I think we understand that sometimes things just don’t go your way,” Herlihey said. “Hopefully, we can work through those things and pucks will go our way.”

If Oswego State’s season ended at the discretion of the selection committee, Gosek and his team have mixed feelings about how their highly successful season came to an end.

“I’d feel disappointed, especially for the older guys,” Gosek said.

Herlihey was more optimistic than his head coach, citing exceeded expectations as a reason to feel positive.

“Great season,” Herlihey said. “I had a lot more fun than I thought I would. We have such a young team. They stepped up right away. Leaders emerged on this team. Obviously, I want the season to continue. But, if it’s over, I don’t think our team has any regrets.”

Photo: Rachel Futterman | The Oswegonian, Joey Lioto | The Oswegonian