Oswego State travels on the road for a rare midweek league game against SUNY Cortland. The game represents a huge game for both sides. Oswego State is two points behind SUNY Potsdam for the second seed in the NEWHL, representing home-ice advantage for the semifinal game in the playoffs on Feb. 23. For SUNY Cortland, the Red Dragons sit two points ahead of Buffalo State for the final playoff spot in the NEWHL. Neither team can afford a loss in this game.

The two teams have already met twice this year, with the results being a 1-1 tie on Oswego State’s home ice and a 3-1 Lakers’ victory at SUNY Cortland. In the last meeting, all four goals were scored in the third period with the Red Dragons starting the scoring and Oswego State finishing with three unanswered. The first game saw Rachael Farmer in net for the Lakers against her former team. Wednesday could represent Farmer’s first start back in Cortland, although she did start both games this weekend.

Last Time Out

Oswego State

The Lakers salvaged the second game of their weekend series against Buffalo State. Both of their goals in the 2-0 victory came in the third period, one off the stick of Annika Neufeld-Kreider and the second courtesy of Sara Cruise, who was named the NEWHL Rookie of the Week after posting an assist on Neufeld-Kreider’s goal. Rachael Farmer had 14 of her 27 saves come in that third period and it resulted in her third shutout of the year, all against Buffalo State. The win ended Oswego State’s season series with Buffalo State. The Lakers took three out of the four meetings.

SUNY Cortland

The Red Dragons got back on track with a 1-0 win over SUNY Potsdam at home. They dropped the first game of the weekend set, 4-1. The final two games against Oswego State will end SUNY Cortland’s NEWHL slate for the year. With Buffalo State looming behind them, the Red Dragons will have to muster as many points as possible in those two games. Emily King tallied the lone goal in the win and Chelsea Allain had 27 saves in her fourth shutout of the season.

By The Numbers

Record (Conference)

OSW: 9-7-3 (4-6-2)

COR: 10-8-3 (3-8-3)

Goals (Per Game)

OSW: 41 (2.2)

COR: 39 (1.86)

Shots (Per Game)

OSW: 600 (31.6)

COR: 580 (27.6)

Power Play (Percentage)

OSW: 6-76 (8.5%)

COR: 9-66 (13.6%)

Keys to the Game

Oswego State

The Lakers need to stay out of the penalty box. They have committed 4.79 penalties per game and they cannot afford to be in the box against a good SUNY Cortland power play. The Red Dragons have scored on 13.6 percent of their power plays this season, but have not had a ton of chances. The Lakers need to make sure the limited chances remain the theme on Wednesday.

SUNY Cortland

SUNY Cortland needs an output of offense outside of Grace Schnorr. Schnorr is the only Red Dragon is double digits in points, and leads the team in goals by a wide margin. Their 1.86 goals per game will not cut it if they want to hang onto that final NEWHL playoff spot.

Players to Watch

OSW: Leah Czerwinski

Czerwinski has been scoreless for six straight games. However, she had two goals in the last meeting between the two teams. She has also had her chances. Czerwinski has 11 shots during the current scoring drought, including five last weekend. It is an old cliché in sports, but Czerwinski is due.

COR: Grace Schnorr

Schnorr is an easy pick for SUNY Cortland. She leads the team in goals with 12, with the second highest being five. She is also the only Red Dragon with double-digit points. If Oswego State zeros in on one player on Wednesday, it has to be Schnorr.

Final Thoughts

This is a much, much different SUNY Cortland team entering play on Wednesday. It has won three out of their last four games and have been rolling with Chelsea Allain in net. Allain is 7-2-1 with a .949 save percentage and four shutouts for the Red Dragons. Oswego State only saw her for one period the first two games the teams met, but Wednesday could be a different story. Not to mention, Oswego State has trouble in both games the first time around, tying once and winning once.

There is no question this is a big game for both teams. Expect a low-scoring game, as both teams struggle to score and excel on defense and in net. Oswego State’s offensive advantage may be the difference in this one.

Photo by: Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian