The Oswego State men’s club hockey team is entering this season with its sights set on a postseason appearance, and it is looking to rely on a mix of both new and familiar faces to do so.

“We definitely picked up a lot of depth, a lot of skill,” head coach Chris Timmons said.

The Lakers will certainly have a new look this season, as they graduated three of their top five scorers from last season and added 15 new players to their roster this season. As expected, the team will need several returning players to step up and become leaders this season.

Timmons highlighted Kyle McNamara as one of the players he expects to step up this season.

“Sometimes, it takes a while to get him going, but I think if we can get him going early, he can start where he left off last year,” Timmons said.

The team is also expecting a big year out of goaltender Alex Gallose, who has started 33 games over the last two seasons, posting a .893 save percentage in that span.

The offseason was not without controversy, as the school passed the “Equal Play, Equal Pay” act, which significantly decreased the funding for the men’s team while increasing the funding for the women’s club team.

“I used to get about 50 kids come try out each year,” said Timmons. “Due to the increase of the out-of-pocket cost of playing for this team, we had 33 kids try out this year. We have to pay for referees out of pocket this year, and that’s coming up to around $6,000, so it’s a pretty huge chunk.”

Despite this, the team is still feeling confident. Timmons has his sights set on a postseason appearance for the Lakers, who finished last season 10-17-1-3 (6-8-0 in NECHL play).

“I think we’re looking really good,” forward Chris Carey said, who was sixth on the team with 19 points last season. “We have a lot of good forwards… and we have a lot of young guys, so I really think it’s going to help us turn it around.”

The Lakers look to start a new chapter this season, a chapter filled with success, a chapter with new players and a chapter with less funding.

Photo by Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian