Following 13 total career games played and no registered points at Merrimack College, Jeff Solow decided it was time for a change of scenery. He left a school about an hour from the Massachusetts coast of the Atlantic Ocean and joined Oswego State, a school with Lake Ontario as a backyard.

While most players that transfer into the men’s hockey program at Oswego State come at the beginning of the year, Solow decided to transfer on Jan. 4. Once he was granted a release from Merrimack College, he immediately started emailing different coaches, from both Div. I and Div. III schools.

Thanks to being friends with Lakers’ players Joseph Molinaro, Thomas Horn and Colton Fletcher, Solow decided to give Oswego State a try.

“It was a pretty quick turnaround because I knew the spring semester started here and I didn’t want classes to start up and screw me over,” Solow said.

While at Merrimack College, Solow did not play a single game during his first full season with the Warriors and was granted redshirt status to retain a year of eligibility. When he transferred to Oswego State, the major concern was if he would have another year to play college hockey.

Head coach Ed Gosek and the rest of the coaching staff promised Solow they would get him the year of eligibility back. This means he will be with Oswego State the rest of the season and then two more years after that.

“I had spoken to someone at Merrimack college previously about getting [the eligibility] back, and they were unsure about if [they] could or not. Another person told me that I might have to petition to the NCAA,” Solow said. “Needless to say, a week or two later, they got it back.”

Solow joined a team that already had nine defensemen. During the first half of the season, two or three blue-liners were healthy scratches during games. Sometimes, the Oswego State coaching staff would use a defenseman as the extra skater. A big reason Gosek brought in Solow was because of how long he will be with the team, especially with the two graduating defensemen this semester.

“We’re confident with him, that’ll take us out of as far as recruiting another defenseman, and then we’ll move forward and make everybody better,” Gosek said. “If you have an opportunity to improve your team, improve your depth, with a guy like Jeff, that’s very important.”

With Solow’s experience as a Div. I hockey player and his mobility and offensive awareness as a defenseman, he has been a mainstay on the third defensive line for the Lakers. In his six games with Oswego State, he has been paired with both Chris MacMillan and Charlie Pelnik.

Due to transferring in the spring, Solow has not been able to crack the power play and penalty kill units. Gosek said both special teams’ units have been performing well enough to not worry about having to change anything. For now, Gosek said it is about getting Solow’s confidence back at even-strength play.

“We think it’s getting there. That is his strength,” Gosek said. “He’s got a good shot from the backend. He can get pucks to the net. He’s got the mobility. He’s got the skill set.”

In just his second game wearing the green and gold, on Jan. 26, Solow registered his first collegiate point – an assist – against Morrisville State. While in juniors, he registered 56 points in his last two seasons of junior college. Solow had not registered a point since Jan. 13, 2017, with the Amarillo Bulls.

“I was always a points guy in juniors, and to go these past couple years without having any, it sucked,” Solow said. “Even though it’s only an assist, it’s still a great feeling to get that point out of the way.”

Solow joined the team at a crucial point in the season. At the end of the winter break, Oswego State’s eyes were set on home-ice advantage for the SUNYAC playoffs. The Lakers are the No. 2 seed in the SUNYAC. With only one weekend left, Oswego State needs to finish out strong to accomplish that goal.

But the biggest change for Solow is the winning culture of Oswego State. The last time he was on a team with a winning record was during the 2015-2016 season, when he was with the North Iowa Bulls. He did not even play the full season, only playing 20 games with the Bulls that season.

“The guys care so much here. It’s awesome,” Solow said. “The feelings in the locker room and on the ice and the connection with everyone, it’s cool.”

Solow will try to bring his offensive mindset as a defenseman to a team that is slowly finding offensive production from its blue-liners, such as Max Novick and Tyler Currie. But he, like all the other Lakers, have their eyes set on the playoffs.

“That’s definitely the goal,” Solow said. “I’m hoping, after a little bit of time here, that’ll come back and I’ll get back after it.”