After a win against Buffalo State on Nov. 17, the No. 6/8 Oswego State Lakers (4-1-0, 2-1-0 SUNYAC) host The College at Brockport (7-1-1, 2-1-1 SUNYAC) for a conference matchup at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena for the third annual Teddy Bear Toss hosted by the Lakers.

Last Time Out

Oswego State

The Lakers lost to SUNY Fredonia on Nov. 16, but came back after their first loss of the season against Buffalo State by a score of 4-1. The game was highlighted by junior Joseph Molinaro’s first collegiate hat-trick, including two power play goals and an empty net goal. Tyler Currie and Anthony Passero also posted multi-point nights with two assists each. Both of Currie’s assists came on the first and third goals for Molinaro. Passero’s were on the first and second. Josh Zizek rounded out the scoring for the Lakers in the first period. Cedric Hansen stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced. For the special teams, Oswego State went 2-3 on the power play, and went 5-5 on the penalty kill.

The College at Brockport

Unlike the Lakers, the Golden Eagles played in a tournament over the Thanksgiving Break in Castleton, Vermont, for the WSYB/Catamount Radio Invitational. On Nov. 24, The College at Brockport squared off against Castleton University, resulting in a 3-0 win for the Golden Eagles. Hunter Laslo had a two-point night, after scoring a goal in the third period and registering an assist in the first. Doc Gentzler, who scored in the first period, and Mitchell Parsons, who scored in the third, both scored on the power play. Jake Moore stopped all 26 shots he faced, including a 12-save third period. The Golden Eagles threw 38 shots on net all game. For special teams, The College at Brockport went 2-4 on the power play, and 4-4 on the penalty kill.

Lakers and Golden Eagles History

Since 1967, the Lakers and Golden Eagles have faced each other 104 times. The first time these two teams met on Jan. 30, 1967, the Lakers defeated the Golden Eagles in an absolute blowout by a score of 24-0. Overall, Oswego State has posted a 92-6-6 record against The College at Brockport with a 52-2-4 record when playing at Oswego State. Last season, the Lakers won both SUNYAC matchups in the regular season. On Dec. 2, 2017, the Lakers won 3-0, and on Feb. 10, 2018 at Brockport, Oswego State won 4-1. The last time The College at Brockport even got a conference point against Oswego State was Nov. 21, 2014, when the game resulted in a 4-4 tie. The Golden Eagle’s last win against the Lakers was on Feb. 5, 2014, when they won 3-2 at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena.

In last season’s matchups, the fall game at Oswego was the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Cameron Berry, Joseph Molinaro and team alumni Mitch Herlihey all scored for the Lakers. Aaron Huffnagle had two assists, registering the points on the Berry and Molinaro goals. Cedric Hansen stopped all 19 shots he faced in the game. In the spring when the Lakers travelled to Brockport, four different Lakers scored. Herlihey, Molinaro, Zizek and Mitch Emerson all scored. Michael Gillespie had two assists, while Herlihey and Zizek also added an assist for two-point games. David Richer stopped 34 of 35 shots, including a 15-save third period. Brandon McMartin, from The College at Brockport, scored a short-handed goal for the Golden Eagles’ only goal against the Lakers that season.

By the Numbers

RECORD (conference) [vs. each other]

OSW: 4-1-0 (2-1-0) [92-6-6]

BPT: 7-1-1 (2-1-1) [6-29-6]

GOALS (per game)

OSW: 20 (4.0)

BPT: 28 (3.1)

SHOTS (per game) [shot percentage]

OSW: 143 (28.6) [14.0%]

BPT: 302 (33.6) [9.3%]

POWER PLAY (percentage)

OSW: 8-25 (32.0%)

BPT: 15-61 (24.6%)

Players to Watch

OSW: Joseph Molinaro

After scoring his first collegiate hat-trick against Buffalo State, which were his first three points of the season, expect Joseph Molinaro to come out firing to continue his hot play. He currently leads the team with 19 shots, and after a lot of hard work, it finally paid off. He is on a line with Anthony Passero and Aaron Huffnagle, who both are excellent playmakers. Brown has four assists this season and Huffnagle has two. Following a 19-point season last year with six goals and 13 assists, Molinaro should start firing once again to get to get to the bar he set last season in his first year as a Laker.

BPT: Jake Moore

Goaltender Jake Moore has played in seven games this season, starting in six of them. He has posted two shutouts this season, only allowing five goals in the seven games he’s played this season. Moore has made 154 saves this season, posting a .969 save percentage. His save percentage, along with his 0.82 goals against average, both lead the SUNYAC for goaltenders. Both of those stats are second in all of Div. III, only trailing Nick Schmit of Augsburg College. Moore will also be starting tonight against the Lakers.

Lines (provided by Oswego State / The College at Brockport athletics departments)

Oswego State

Forwards

No. 14 : Jody Sullivan | No. 10 : Cameron Berry | No. 27 : Josh Nenadal

No. 19 : Joseph Molinaro | No. 21 : Aaron Huffnagle | No. 8 : Derek Brown

No. 7 : Tanner Spink | No. 13 : Josh Zizek | No. 16 : Michael Gillespie

No. 9 : Mitch Emerson | No. 11 : Anthony Passero | No. 28 : Travis Broughman

Defense

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

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

No. 24 : Kristoffer Brun | No. 3 : Tyler Antonucci

Extra Skater

No. 93 : Josh LeBlanc

Goaltenders

No. 31 : David Richer

No. 30 : Cedric Hansen

No. 33 : Steven Kozikoski

Scratches: Charlie Pelnik, A.J. D’Orazio, Joey Scorpio, Michael McArthur, Tyson Bruce, Chris MacMillan, Jesse Farabee, Colton Fletcher, Thomas Horn, Ryan Bunka, Robert Clerc, Tyson Kirkby

The College at Brockport

Forwards

No. 20 : Kyle Collette | No. 84 : Connor Hutchins | No. 19 : Mitchell Parsons

No. 10 : Jake Colosanti | No. 13 : Doc Gentzler | No. 23 : Hunter Laslo

No. 94 : Danny Rock | No. 67 : Jeremy Solat | No. 7 : Ethan Solat

No. 14 : Robby Flannery | No. 15 : Shane Visnick | No. 11 : Trevor Pray

Defense

No. 4 : Bryan Carville | No. 17 : Casey Winn

No. 8 : Corey Tam | No. 91 : Ryan Romeo

No. 18 : Tyler Williams | No. 5 : Aidan Salerno

Extra Skater

No. 26 : Simon Besnar

Goaltenders

No. 35 : Jake Moore

No. 33 : Sean Lincoln

No. 1 : Matt Schneider

Scratches: Chris Pollini, Jordan Renaud, Wilson Scott, Connor Bass

Prediction

Oswego State is coming off a 1-1-0 weekend, while The College at Brockport is coming off a three-game win streak, heading into the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena. The Lakers have been able to produce an average four goals per game, but it might take more than that to stay above the hot Golden Eagles. A lot will rely on the goaltenders, between David Richer and Jake Moore, two of the top goaltenders in the SUNYAC.

Special teams, as it always is, head coach Ed Gosek said, will be crucial. The Lakers went 2-3 against Buffalo State behind Molinaro’s two goals on the man-advantage. The College at Brockport has had a lot more opportunities on the power play, but has not converted as much, going 15-61 on the season for a 24.6 percent success rate.

With Cam Berry returning for Oswego State, and a lot of roster moves for the Lakers between offensive lines, morale should be high for the Lakers as they return one of their alternate captains in Berry. However, still, Molinaro will be the player to watch after scoring the hat-trick. Overall, the second and fourth lines will be crucial in tonight’s games with the personnel they both contain.

With The College at Brockport’s recent hot streak and dominance at the beginning of the regular season compared to Oswego State’s shaky past weekend, this game could be a lot closer than the past couple seasons have seen. This game will be tight until the end, with a possibility of it heading to overtime.

No. 6/8 Oswego State (4-1-0, 1-1-0 SUNYAC) defeats The College at Brockport (7-1-1, 2-1-1 SUNYAC) 5-4 in overtime.