Game Preview

Oswego State is officially starting its 2018-2019 season after an abrupt end last season. The Lakers had two exhibition games on Oct. 20 and 27, coming away with wins against Nazareth College and the Carleton Place Canadians of the CCHL. The team saw at least 30 players play per game, including all three goaltenders. Head coach Ed Gosek and the rest of the staff rotated through players throughout both games. Tonight, the Lakers will be dressing 22 players, which includes 10 forwards, six defensemen and three goaltenders.

The Red Dragons are coming into the game with two games already played this season. SUNY Cortland had a 4-1 loss to Skidmore College on Oct. 26, and a 4-0 win against Lebanon Valley College on Oct. 27. Sean Perichak leads the team with two points, tallying one goal and one assist in the win against Lebanon Valley College. It is also interesting to note that SUNY Cortland has one senior in its starting lineup for the Nov. 2 game, Michael Crowley.

Last Time Out

The Lakers played their second exhibition game against the Carleton Place Canadians. Two of Oswego State’s players played for Carleton Place while in the CCHL. Freshman Travis Broughman was a Canadian for the 2017-2018 season, and senior Devin Campbell played for the team from 2011-2015. In the 5-3 win against Carleton Place, Broughman scored a goal, along with Tanner Spink, Mitch Emerson, Tyson Bruce and Joseph Molinaro. Broughman also added an assist on the Molinaro goal for his second point of the night. Cedric Hansen played the first two periods of the game, making six saves and allowing two goals. Steven Kozikoski played the third period allowing a goal on three.

SUNY Cortland registered its first win of the season against Lebanon Valley College in a 4-1 win at Cortland. There were four different goal scorers, including Sean Perichak who currently has two points to lead the team. Nick Modica played the entire game and posted his first shutout of the season. He made 27 saves in the game. The Red Dragons also scored a powerplay goal, going 1-5 after a Shane Beauliueu in the second period to take a 2-0 lead at that point in the game.

Lakers vs. Red Dragons History

Since 1976, Oswego State boasts a 77-10-2 record against the Red Dragons, including a 39-5-1 record while at home. The Lakers have won the five most recent matchups between the two teams and have scored 22 goals in those games compared to SUNY Cortland’s seven. Last season, Oswego State won both games. In November, Oswego State beat the Red Dragons at Cortland 3-1, and in January, SUNY Cortland fell to the Lakers 5-1 at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena. The last time SUNY Cortland beat the Lakers was on Nov. 6, 2015, at Cortland, when the Red Dragons won 4-2.

This will be the first of two matchups in the regular season, as both teams are a part of the SUNYAC.

By the Numbers

Record (vs. each other) [conference]

OSW: 0-0-0 (77-10-2) [0-0-0]

COR: 1-1-0 (10-77-2) [0-0-0]

Goals (per game)

OSW: N/A

COR: 5 (2.5)

Shots (per game)

OSW: N/A

COR: 55 (27.5)

Power Play (percentage)

OSW: N/A

COR: 1-7 (14.2%)

Player Spotlight

OSW: Tanner Spink

Tanner Spink was the player to watch heading into the game against Carleton Place on Oct. 27, and after his goal, he did not disappoint. To start his sophomore season, unofficially, he scored three goals in two games. Last season, he had 13 points (7g, 6a) during his freshman year. He will most likely look to avoid the stereotypical “sophomore slump” heading into this season. But, after watching his performance in the first two games, and being placed on the second forward line (with playmaker Anthony Passero and Travis Broughman), he, along with that entire line, could be a strong offensive force throughout the entire season.

COR: Sean Perichak

While it may be stereotypical to put the leading scorer, even though it is still early in the season, Sean Perichak has stepped out early in his junior season with the Red Dragons. He has scored 24 points before this season, and could be a top scorer for the Red Dragons this season. Again, the season is still young, but the third line center could prove some glimpses of depth in the SUNY Cortland lineup this season.

Lines (provided by Oswego State / SUNY Cortland athletic departments)

OSW:

Forwards

No. 16 : Michael Gillespie | No. 13 : Josh Zizek | No. 8 : Derek Brown

No. 7 : Tanner Spink | No. 11 : Anthony Passero | No. 28 : Travis Broughman

No. 19 : Joseph Molinaro | No. 9 : Mitch Emerson | No. 27 : Josh Nenadal

No. 14 : Jody Sullivan | No. 15 : Joey Scorpio | No. 21 : Aaron Huffnagle

Extra Forward: No. 18 : Tyson Bruce

Defense

No. 4 : Devin Campbell | No. 6 : Tyler Currie

No. 2 : Carter Allen | No. 20 : Max Novick

No. 5 : Charlie Pelnik | No. 24 Kristoffer Brun

Goalies

No. 31 : David Richer

No. 30 : Cedric Hansen

No. 33 : Steven Kozikoski

Scratches: Tyler Antonucci, Cameron Berry, A.J. D’Orazio, Michael McArthur, Chris MacMillan, Jesse Farabee, Colton Fletcher, Thomas Horn, Ryan Bunka, Robert Clerc, Tyler Kirkby, Josh LeBlanc

COR:

Forwards

No. 22 : Hayden Hart | No. 10 : Michael Crowley | No. 15 : Scott Docherty

No. 17 : Stefano Alonzi | No. 11 : Shane Beauliue | No. 8 : Doug Elgstam

No. 5 : Tom Ritchie | No. 27 : Sean Perichak | No. 26 : Alex Storjohann

No. 19 : Dorian Overland | No. 28 : Conor Tierney | No. 7 : Connor Beck

Extra Forward: No. 20 : Michael Sciore

Defense

No. 13 : Justin Schebel | No. 16 : Jacob Gaydos

No. 23 : Louis DiMatteo | No. 24 : Martin Lavallee

No. 4 : Cole Skelly | No. 21 : Nico Gonzalez

Goalies

No. 33 : Nick Modica

No. 30 : Sal Lauretta

Prediction

Oswego State has a dominant history against SUNY Cortland, especially in the last five years. Nonetheless, since this is a conference matchup, the first SUNYAC game for both teams, it should be an intense game. This game will also give the Lakers’ coaching staff a good insight to what the roster may be as the season goes on, especially with 12 scratches. Granted, Cameron Berry and Chris MacMillan both have injuries, according to the coaching staff. Gosek is still emphasizing the roster will likely change every week due to wanting to see consistency from every player throughout the week. There is also a lot of depth on this roster, from the senior class to the lone freshman skater, Travis Broughman, and scoring should be a strong point for the Lakers.

SUNY Cortland is a decently young team, with a team mainly built up of sophomores and juniors. The lone senior, Michael Crowley, will look to lead his team to the SUNYAC playoffs this season, and it all starts with setting the tone early. But, starting the conference season with a tough opponent like Oswego State, it might be tough to get some momentum going, even after the 4-0 win against Lebanon Valley College last weekend.

The Lakers will take this one to open up the season with a win, both overall and in conference, with a final score of 5-2.