Oswego State plays its first game since returning to school as it welcomes in rival Buffalo State. The first two times the teams met, the Lakers came out on top 2-0 and 1-0 in Buffalo. Rachael Farmer pitched shutouts in both games. Oswego State has now won three in a row against the Bengals.

Both teams come into Friday’s game licking their wounds. Oswego State has lost two in a row, whereas Buffalo State has lost the last five straight. Both teams will look to bounce back at the Marano Campus Center Friday afternoon.

Last Time Out

Oswego State

The Lakers dropped the second of a two-game series to Plattsburgh State. They were outscored 10-1 on the weekend. They have now been outscored 20-2 by the Cardinals on the season. Avery Webster scored the lone goal in the series, late in the third period of the first game, in a 6-1 loss. Cassie Shokar allowed 5 goals in the first game before being replaced by Rachael Farmer. Farmer started and played the entire second game, allowing 4 goals but making an eye-popping 50 saves.

Buffalo State

The Bengals enter Friday’s game having dropped both games against SUNY Cortland on the road. Buffalo State has now lost five games in a row and sits last in the NEWHL standings. Second-leading scorer Lila Toczek scored the only goal for the Bengals, her tenth of the year. After a second-place NEWHL finish last year, the Bengals could be the lone team left out of the league tournament if they do not pick up their play soon.

By The Numbers

Record (Conference)

OSW: 8-6-3 (3-5-2)

BUF: 5-11-2 (2-8-1)

Goals (Per Game)

OSW: 38 (2.2)

BUF: 29 (1.6)

Shots (Per Game)

OSW: 509 (29.9)

BUF: 457 (25.5)

Power Play (Percentage)

OSW: 5-64 (7.8%)

BUF: 6-84 (7.1%)

Keys to the Game

Oswego State

The Lakers need to find a way to put the puck in the net. They have only scored three goals in their last two games, and struggled to score in the first series against Buffalo State. The defense has not been much of a problem at all, and goalkeeping has been solid, but the Bengals should not be a team Oswego State can only score three goals in a weekend against. Its scoring output has dipped drastically since the beginning of the season, now down to just 2.2 per game.

Buffalo State

Buffalo State needs to find a scoring output outside of Emma Ruggiero and Lila Toczek. The two have 17 and 15 points, respectively, and the next closest scorer is Lauren Madden with five total points. That top-heavy production has been a big problem all season for the Bengals. If they want to go on the road and string together some wins, it is not going to be through just two players. Someone else needs to show up.

Players to Watch

OSW: Rachael Farmer

Farmer has already pitched two shutouts against the Bengals and should get another shot at them on Friday night. She is also coming off a 50-save performance against Plattsburgh State, a team that has dominated NEWHL play this season. Expect another big performance from Farmer if the Lakers want to come away with the win.

BUF: Courtney Cavarello

Cavarello is not going to put up big numbers in the scoring column, but she is an anchor for the Bengals on defense. She does have two assists on the year, but her real value lies in protecting the net. Cavarello leads the team with 17 blocks, and the Bengals will need her to come up big on the defensive end all weekend long.

Final Thoughts

One losing streak has to end tonight. Buffalo State has lost five in a row and on the other side Oswego State has dropped its last two. With the end of the season drawing closer, the Bengals sit two points behind SUNY Cortland for the final NEWHL playoff spot. This is also a big game for Oswego State, as they sit two points behind SUNY Potsdam for home-ice advantage in the first round of the tournament. The two teams blossoming rivalry adds to an already huge game for both sides.

Oswego State holds the advantage on all sides of the puck if everyone shows up. With either Farmer in net, the Lakers should be put in a good position to win. Oswego State needs to right the ship with two home wins this weekend to be back in the running for that second NEWHL seed.

Photo by: Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian