Two points are on the line for Oswego State (6-2-0, 4-2-0 SUNYAC) as it takes on Plattsburgh State (5-4-1, 5-2-1 SUNYAC) for the 13th annual Whiteout game between the two teams on Dec. 8.

Last Time Out

Oswego State

To start the Whiteout Weekend, the Lakers got two crucial points over SUNY Potsdam on Dec. 7 in a 5-2 win. Highlighted by Josh Zizek, who had four points in the matchup, Oswego State now has eight league points and will look for two more again tonight. Special teams were key, as the Lakers went 2-4 on both the power play and the penalty kill.

Michael Gillespie opened up scoring for the Lakers at 11:36 of the first period with a shot from the slot, with assists from Anthony Passero and Tyler Currie. However, the Bears would come back quickly on the power play after a Devin Campbell tripping call. Brett Horn scored at 17:40 of the first period off a rebound opportunity past Cedric Hanse. Oswego State responded early in the second on the power play, as well, with a Zizek one-timer from the left circle after a cross-ice pass from Gillespie. But, the Bears were not done yet, after Tyler Young notched another game-tying goal at 5:47, also on the power play.

To start the third period, Zizek scored his second goal of the night at 4:21 from the same exact position as the first goal on the power play. Gillespie also fed that pass. Zizek contributed on the Max Novick goal at 11:36 of the final period to push the lead to 4-2. But, Zizek capped off the night with a hat-trick at 13:33 of the final period en route to a 5-2 victory for the Lakers, who threw 31 shots on net. Hansen stopped 17 of 19.

Plattsburgh State

The Cardinals started their weekend with a win to push them above .500 on the season after beating SUNY Cortland 4-3 on Dec. 7. There were four different goal scorers for Plattsburgh State. For special teams, the Cardinals went 0-4 on the power play, but had 100 percent success on the penalty kill. They only had one penalty to kill the entire night. Jimmy Poreda had 19 saves on 22 shots throughout the game.

Ross Sloan opened up scoring at 9:11 of the first period for Plattsburgh State, with an assist coming off the stick of Joe Drabin. However, the lead did not last long, as the Red Dragons scored 17 seconds later with a goal from Nico Gonzalez. Plattsburgh State responded once again at 12:47 of the first with a Liam Lawson goal. SUNY Cortland scored the next two goals, both in the second period, with goals from Dorian Overland and Gonzalez. However, Plattsburgh State would come back in the third period, with Drabin scoring a goal of his own, and Antoine Desnoyers finishing up scoring at 6:40 of the third period en route to a 4-3 win.

Lakers and Cardinals History / Recent Whiteout History

Oswego State and Plattsburgh State have a rivalry that could be considered one of the best in Div. III hockey. Between numerous regular season games and multiple SUNYAC playoff and championship games, the history between these teams is strong. However, Plattsburgh State does have the edge with a 78-39-8 record since Nov. 13, 1976. While at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena, the Cardinals are 33-21-3 over the Lakers.

In the last five matchups, the Lakers are 2-3-0 against the Cardinals. Oswego State has not beaten Plattsburgh State at home since March 2, 2013. Last season, during the Whiteout game between the two teams, Plattsburgh State won 1-0 to end the regular season for both teams. The loss sent Oswego State into the playoffs on a two-game losing streak, and eventually lost to SUNY Fredonia 3-1 in the SUNYAC semifinals.

For Whiteout, Oswego State has not beaten Plattsburgh State since Feb. 17, 2012 — six seasons since the Lakers’ last win on Whiteout. The closest the Lakers have come is a 3-3 tie in both the 2013-2014 season, as well as the 2014-2015 season. The senior class has not won a whiteout game in its collegiate careers, nor did the last class. The last time Oswego State won the Whiteout game, Asst. Coach Jon Whitelaw was a senior on the program and also a captain. The senior class of 2016 was the last class to win the Whiteout game. Goaltender Justin Gilbert was the only senior on that year’s roster to play in that Whiteout win. This year’s four-year seniors Cameron Berry and Kristoffer Brun were freshmen when Gilbert was a senior.

Devin Campbell, who transferred from Niagara University, was not of the Oswego State team that season.

By the Numbers

RECORD (conference) [vs. each other] {last five Whiteout games}

OSW: 6-2-0 (4-2-0) [39-78-8] {0-3-2}

PLA: 5-4-1 (5-2-1) [78-39-8] {3-0-2}

GOALS (per game) [last five Whiteout games]

OSW: 30 (3.8) [12 / 2.4]

PLA: 30 (3.0) [14 / 2.8]

SHOTS (per game) [shot percentage] {last five Whiteout games *no shot percentage}

OSW: 218 (27.3) [13.8%] {161 / 32.2}

PLA: 334 (33.4) [8.9%] {130 / 26.0}

POWER PLAY (percentage) [last five Whiteout games]

OSW: 13-39 (33.3%) [2-13 / 15.3%]

PLA: 4-41 (9.8%) [4-18 / 22.2%]

Player to Watch

Oswego State: Michael Gillespie

While Gillespie was not the player to get the hat-trick, he was still a strong contributor on that first line and also on the power play. He was able to open up scoring for the Lakers in the first period, but also made a couple cross-ice passes to Zizek on the power play. He also had a four-point night with a goal and three assists. Gillespie, along with linemates Anthony Passero and Travis Broughman, should be able to at least throw some shots on net. Last night, the “player” to watch was the first line for Oswego State. Tonight, Gillespie, once again, will be crucial.

Plattsburgh State: Jimmy Poreda

Poreda has led Plattsburgh State both his freshman and now his sophomore seasons. He currently boasts a 1.77 goals against average and a .939 save percentage. While in his career he is around .500 (11-10-2), he did hold Oswego State to a 1-0 shutout last season after stopping all 35 shots he faced. While Poreda was able to come away with the win, it came at a high cost, since Plattsburgh State only threw 10 shots on net at David Richer and got the lone goal in the game. He is also on one of the best penalty kills in the nation, going 4-40 on the season (10.0 percent). Poreda, who stands at 6 foot 2 inches, will be interesting to watch.

Lines (provided by Oswego State / Plattsburgh State athletics]

Oswego State

Forwards

No. 16 : Michael Gillespie | No. 11 : Anthony Passero | No. 28 : Travis Broughman

No. 93 : Josh LeBlanc | No. 13 : Josh Zizek | No. 7 : Tanner Spink

No. 8 : Derek Brown | No. 9 : Mitch Emerson | No. 19 : Joseph Molinaro

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

Defense

No. 4 : Devin Campbell | No. 20 : Max Novick

No. 2 : Carter Allen | No. 6 : Tyler Currie

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

Goalies

No. 31 : David Richer

No. 30 : Cedric Hansen

No. 33 : Steven Kozikoski

Extra Skater

No. 91 : Tyson Kirkby

Scratches: Tyler Antonucci, A.J. D’Orazio, Joey Scorpio, Michael McArthur, Tyson Bruce, Aaron Huffnagle, Chris MacMillan, Jesse Farabee, Colton Fletcher, Thomas Horn, Ryan Bunka, Robert Clerc

Plattsburgh State

Forwards

No. 24 : Ryan Kuhn | No. 19 : Cam Owens | No. 27 : Rich McCartney

No. 13 : Daniil Ovchinnikov | No. 26 : Ross Sloan | No. 11 : Joe Drabin

No. 16 : Pat Egan | No. 20 : Cole Stallard | No. 23 : Christian DiFelice

No. 22 : Jesse Neher | No. 9 : Antoine Desnoyers | No. 39 : Liam Lawson

Defense

No. 2 : Jakob Engvall | No. 7 : Andrew Pizzo

No. 21 : Charles Barber | No. 18 : Matt Araujo

No. 4 : Philip Middleton | No. 55 : Ian Wallgren

Goaltenders

No. 29 : Jimmy Poreda

No. 33 : Lawson Fenton

No. 31 : Brandon Wells

Extra Skater

No. 25 : Tom Bowe

Scratches: Antoine Fournier-Gosselin, Mike Falanga, Greg Malafonte, Keller Kowalowski

Prediction

This is one of the biggest games of the year for both teams and fans alike. Given how the last Whiteout games have gone, this game will be close and to the final whistle. Both teams are pretty evenly matched, despite Oswego State having the 6-2-0 record over Plattsburgh State’s 5-4-1 record. Special teams will be key, as they were last night against SUNY Potsdam for the Lakers and SUNY Cortland for the Cardinals. If both teams can stay disciplined and stay out of the penalty box, this game could be interesting.

Once again, for the Lakers, there were some line rotations compared to last night. The first line of Michael Gillespie, Anthony Passero and Travis Broughman did remain intact for the game tonight. Jody Sullivan, Charlie Pelnik and Tyson Kirkby also cracked the lineup at defense and at extra skater, respectively. David Richer will get the nod tonight after getting rested during the game against SUNY Potsdam. He comes in the season with a 2.42 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.

Aside from the two SUNYAC points that are on the line for both teams, the moral victory heading into the winter break is also crucial. As expected, it is always huge to win against a strong rival. This game is crucial both from a conference standpoint and from a mental standpoint.

The net battle between David Richer and Jimmy Poreda is going to be good, as both have been strong in their first two seasons with their respective teams. Special teams will be crucial. Oswego State’s penalty kill is 77th in the nation for Div. III hockey out of 83 schools, while Plattsburgh State’s power play is 77th. The Lakers’ power play is first in the nation, while the Cardinals’ penalty kill is eighth.

Oswego State will need to capitalize on its chances tonight, as evident from last season when the Lakers threw 35 shots on net compared to the Cardinals’ 10.

For a prediction, Oswego State will win its first Whiteout game in six seasons with a 3-2 win in overtime.

Photo: Greg Tavani | The Oswegonian