The Oswego State club roller hockey team finished fourth in the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Div. III championship in its third straight national tournament appearance.

The team did not lose a game in the first half of the season and lost two in the second half – one to Yeshiva University and another to Endicott College, who won the Div. III national championship.

But Oswego State has a large disadvantage during the regular season compared to a lot of the teams it faced in the national tournament. The Lakers do not have a rink to practice on during the season, meaning the preseason tournament and four practices over winter break on Long Island are the only opportunities for the team to make any changes in game plans or corrections.

“We don’t have any real team workouts because everyone’s schedules are all over the place, so we try to tell everyone to get in the gym as much as possible,” team president Jack Tofallos said. “[We meet] over winter break in Long Island because everyone is from down that way.”

This season, Oswego State was bumped from Div. II to Div. III since the league that it is in, the Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association, moved a lot of its Div. I teams down to Div. II.

Since the Lakers cannot practice during the season, Tofallos said that it was best the team move to Div. III. There are possibilities for the team to find a practice slot on campus for next season, but Tofallos said he was not able to talk about it.

“Our mindset was: come in, be the top in our division, win regionals, go to nationals and go from there,” Tofallos said. “As long as the league doesn’t force us to move up, we’re probably going to stay at Div. III.”

Oswego State had a lot of key returners, including the team’s captain, Joe DeMarco, who had 24 points on the season. Head coach Mike Boyd also said senior Chris Hood, although he was on the team for two seasons, was a major factor as well. 

“He quickly adapted to playing a team game, as this was his first time playing organized hockey,” Boyd said. “[He] was able to put up some highlight reel goals.”

Boyd was a five-year goaltender for the Lakers before graduating and said he was not sure what to expect from the team who would ultimately need a new goaltender this season. Matt Levy, a freshman, played in 14 games this season, posting a 13-1-0 record, with a 2.71 goals against average.

In both the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 of the Div. III national championships, Levy made 26 saves, including some “monster saves” in the game against the University of Denver in the Elite 8.

“He quickly dispelled any doubts I had from preseason when I saw him take the ice in the second semester,” Boyd said. 

After the best start in program history, Oswego State earned a bid to the national tournament. In their two previous trips to the national tournament, the Lakers had gone to Fort Myers, Florida, two years ago and Fargo, North Dakota, last season. This season, the Lakers only had to drive an hour and a half down Route 104 for their third trip to nationals in Rochester. 

This tournament was the closest the Lakers have had all season. Tofallos said all the team’s tournaments have been at least four and a half hours away this season. With the close proximity of the tournament, some Oswego State fans were able to attend.

“We had to fundraise a little bit, but not nearly as much as we did the last two years,” Tofallos said. “A lot of people’s families don’t come to a lot of games, and they actually made their way out, too.”

Following the end of the season, Oswego State is only losing two players, DeMarco and Hood. DeMarco is a graduate student who used all five years of his eligibility. Hood is a senior who is not returning for a graduate program. Other seniors, like Tofallos, are using their fifth year of eligibility next year as a graduate student.

Trying to recruit players is always a challenge for the Lakers. The team has seen multiple siblings, like Tofallos and his brother Joe, play at the same time. But, with recent trips to nationals, the team has been able to get on the map. Tofallos said a big part of the recruiting has been social media.

“I think it’s important for all of our guys to look to themselves to be the best that they can be,” Boyd said. “As for on the ice, we have been in talks with a couple recruits who are coming to Oswego in the fall.”

In all four of Tofallos’s years, the team has improved. From being the “joke of the league” his first season to a trip to the final four his senior year, he said he hopes the team can continue to make strides even after he graduates next season.

“Hopefully next year, we’re in the championship or even win it. [We are] trying to do a little better every year,” Tofallos said. “I’ll view my five years in the organization as a success if that’s the case, even if we don’t win the championship.”

Photo provided by Michael McCormack