Oswego State welcomes SUNY Cortland into the Marano Campus Center one final time on Wednesday night. The Lakers have played four games in seven days, a brutal combination leading up to the three most crucial regular season games of the season. Not to mention, some of the team has been battling the flu over the past couple weeks. As for the Red Dragons, they have had an entire week to prepare to face the Lakers. Last time, SUNY Cortland defeated Oswego State, 3-2, last Wednesday night in Cortland.

It is pretty clear cut for Oswego State. A win guarantees the second or third seed in the NEWHL and a matchup with SUNY Potsdam in the playoffs. A loss would mean the Lakers would have to sweep their two games against SUNY Potsdam this weekend to avoid the fourth seed and a matchup with Plattsburgh State, a team that has gone 14-0 in NEWHL play. There is a lot on the line tonight, to say the least.

Last Time Out

Oswego State

The Lakers finished their two-game weekend series with No. 10/10 Williams College with a 4-1 loss. Oswego State came out firing, even tying the game at 1-1 with its lone goal from Jean-marie Padden. The third period would be the Achilles heel for the Lakers, allowing two goals after the Ephs tallied one before the second intermission. Oswego State knew heading into the weekend that it would be a tough series, but it fought well. Freshman Cassie Shokar started both games in net for the Lakers and was impressive. The biggest problem for the Lakers once again was their inability to score.

SUNY Cortland

SUNY Cortland knocked off Oswego State, 3-2, last Wednesday. The Red Dragons trailed 2-1 going into the third period but would score twice to cap off a 3-2 comeback victory. Amanda Gaffney put home the winning goal with just 3:50 remaining in the game. The win marked the second straight for the Red Dragons, and they have won seven out of their last ten.

By The Numbers

Record (Conference)

OSW: 9-10-3 (4-7-2)

COR: 11-8-3 (4-8-3)

Goals (Per Game)

OSW: 46 (2.1)

COR: 42 (1.91)

Shots (Per Game)

OSW: 655 (29.8)

COR: 621 (28.2)

Power Play (Percentage)

OSW: 6-83 (7.2%)

COR: 10-69 (14.5%)

Keys to the Game

Oswego State

Score first and finish late. Two things the Lakers have not done during their current slide. They jumped out to a 2-1 lead last week against SUNY Cortland but were silenced with two unanswered goals in the third period. Although they were trailing after two periods against Williams College, it was only 2-1 before allowing two more unanswered goals in a 4-1 loss. Oswego State cannot continue down this trend so close to playoff time.

SUNY Cortland

Push the pace. It is that simple for the Red Dragons if they want to win a huge road game on Wednesday night. Oswego State has played four games in seven days, whereas the Red Dragons have had an entire week off. Both teams score at a low rate, but with high energy levels from the puck drop, there could be a spike in scoring. SUNY Cortland will want to be the ones dictating the pace.

Players to Watch

OSW: Leah Czerwinski

Czerwinski has been relatively quiet recently, with just one point in her last eight games. However, she does have four goals and three assists on the season for the Lakers. A player of Czerwinski’s caliber cannot be silenced for too long, and she did record an assist on Sunday against Williams College. Czerwinski could be a big piece in a Lakers win.

COR: Chelsea Allain

SUNY Cortland looked lost and looking for answers after the departure of goalie Rachael Farmer for Oswego State. Enter Chelsea Allain. Allain is 8-2-1 in net with an impressive .947 save percentage and 1.54 GAA. Oswego State was able to score twice on her early, but Allain settled in for the remainder of the game. She has led the way during the Red Dragons current hot streak and they will need her once again tonight.

Final Thoughts

This game could go one of two ways. Either the Lakers hold the advantage having played so many games in preparation, or the Red Dragons hold the advantage by being well rested. When the puck drops, all that will be forgotten. Both of these teams will be hungry for a win. Head coach Diane Dillon mentioned on Sunday that it is important to not play down to their opponent, but SUNY Cortland has been better than the Lakers as of late. These teams present one of the evenest matchups in the NEWHL Conference. The series this year is 1-1-1. It cannot get much closer than that.

The second thing Dillon stressed was keeping a playoff mentality. Games do not get much closer to a playoff vibe than Wednesday night. Each team wants to have a legitimate shot at the NEWHL championship game, and the easier path runs through the second or third seed rather than a first-round matchup with Plattsburgh State. As cliché as it may sound, this game may boil down to who wants it more.