The Oswego State women’s hockey team is getting ready to kick off its season this Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3:00 p.m. with their first exhibition game against the London Jr. Devilettes. After finishing last season with a record of 10-13-3 and making it to the semifinals in the Northeast Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL) Championship, the Lakers will look to build off of their momentum from last season. The new season is about to start, and with new coaches and new players, the team is expecting a lot from themselves.

“We certainly want to win a league championship,” head coach Diane Dillon said. “We’re hoping to pick up where we left off with the addition of our new players, and the experience we gained throughout the year with our senior leadership. We’re really looking to make our mark in the NEWHL.”

One person who will definitely help the team make this mark is new associate head coach Mark Digby, who was an assistant coach for Oswego State’s men’s hockey team for nine seasons. During his time with the men’s team, he helped the Lakers earn trips to the NCAA Championship tournament seven times, the Frozen Four four years in a row and the National Championship game twice. Even though this is Digby’s first time coaching women’s hockey in his career, Dillon has called his addition to the team outstanding. Digby was very complimentary of Dillon as a veteran coach in the women’s hockey ranks.

“It’s been tremendous for me. With my first season coaching women’s hockey, to be guided by someone with Diane’s experience, I think I’m pretty lucky,” Digby said. “Then to have the group of people that we have in the locker room, I think they want to be a good team. Not [thinking] about wins and losses but everything about being a tight group and just having a good experience this year.”

Competition is also expected to grow for the Lakers as the NEWHL is expanding from five to seven teams with the additions of Morrisville State and SUNY Canton. With new teams in the NEWHL, the Lakers will now have to play some games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights instead of only having games on weekends. This seems to have no negative effect or impact on any member of the team, especially senior forward and alternate captain Natalie Giglio. 

“It doesn’t make a difference,” Giglio said. “As soon as we step into the rink, we’re focused on the game. If you ask me after the game, it would take me a second, it’s just another day. It’s gameday.”

One player that is expected to take a big leap this year is sophomore Avery Webster on defense. Webster played all 26 games for the Lakers last year and contributed 10 points as a freshman. Dillon is excited to see how Webster’s play will improve.

“She was able to gain tons of experience. She played in all situations. Her shin pads are like four feet wide, so I think that helped,” Dillon said. “Avery got more consistent as the season went on. We changed roles, gave her opportunities on the penalty kill, power play and certainly a regular shift. I think having that much experience as a freshman, we’re thrilled at what the possibilities are for her as a sophomore.”

One person that will definitely be more consistent compared to last year is senior goaltender Rachael Farmer, who is coming into her second season at Oswego State after transferring from SUNY Cortland. Farmer posted a career high three shutouts, allowed only 23 goals in 15 games played. She finished the season with 372 saves and 1.84 goals allowed per game. Having consistency in the net like that will only help the Lakers, especially with Farmer not having to adjust to playing on a new team this year. 

“I want her to enjoy her senior year; relax and play the game, and stop pucks. That would help,” Dillon said with a chuckle. “Rachael had a great season last year. She logged a lot of minutes, played really well for us and she put us in a position to be successful. This year, as a senior, this is her last year. In my experience as a coach, when seniors relax and just play the game and really enjoy what they’re doing, they play better.”

With a new season just around the corner, the entire team seems to just be focused on this year and not thinking about anything from last year. The entire team sees it as a new year for Oswego State hockey and all have the same vision for big things to come.

“We have a new group now. We’re going to try to do things focusing on this team,” senior captain Kate Randazzo said. “We’re not really thinking about how we did things last year. It’s more about what we’re going to do this year.”

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian