The regular season is officially set to begin for Oswego State as it will hit the road and travel to Vermont to face the Castleton University Spartans for its first two regular season games of the season. After winning their previous exhibition game 4-1 against the William Smith College Herons, the Lakers will look to continue that winning momentum as they will start the season with their first four games on the road. Oswego State’s next two road games, after this weekend, will be against its known rivals, the Plattsburgh State Cardinals
Last year, Oswego State found itself in a similar situation by starting off its season with four road games and went 4-0. Oswego State should not be expected to repeat this, since it has only played two exhibition games so far this season and the coaching staff is still trying to decide what the best possible lineup for the team will be. However, it should be a positive sign that Oswego State already has experience with starting the season out on the road and should give the team an extra boost of confidence.
“We like getting on the road early,” head coach Diane Dillon said. “I think getting off campus gets us focused on the task at hand. It’s a good early way to bring the team together.”
Being on the road in an opposing team’s arena is never easy for any team, but one area that will definitely help Oswego State during this road trip is its penalty kill. As a team, Oswego State went 6-6 on the penalty kill against William Smith College and has not allowed a power-play goal so far this season.
“We are very happy with how we’ve played on the penalty kill,” senior captain Kate Randazzo said. “We hope to continue to do that and tighten up even a little bit more. Definitely looking to work off of that, but we are still learning.”
Starting off a season with four games on the road can seem like a lot for the freshmen on the team who are still adjusting to college, but the only negative that Dillon sees is that the players will have to miss a day of class.
“It’s a good early test,” Dillon said. “It’s always an interesting adjustment. Having to learn a new team with a new dynamic and teammates. They are a good group of young women and they want to win. If anything, it’s been killing them to have had to wait this long to get started playing games.”
Oswego State is only looking at the positives of this road trip when it discusses it. The Lakers are looking forward to the team bonding that comes with being on the road so much.
“We get to spend a lot of time together on the bus and in the hotels,” sophomore Philomena Teggart said. “We know each other really well already, but it just helps us become closer with each other as a team.”
There is a lot of hockey to be played this year and Oswego State cannot wait to get this season officially started. The team looks like it is heading in the right direction after looking impressive in its two exhibition games. Dillon is especially impressed with the teams desire to win.
“The momentum is all forward,” Dillon said. “It’s a fresh start. There’s a lot of new energy and they have been able to bring that energy together to head off in the right direction.”
It seems that all signs are pointed in the right direction for Oswego State when it comes to the success for this season. The new members of the team have already shown that they are ready to make an impact right away. When adding the veteran presence that the Lakers already have, it seems that they have the right combination from the outside looking in.
Oswego State’s first game against Castleton University will be at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Then the puck is scheduled to drop at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, where Oswego State will look to get a win streak going in Vermont.
Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian
