Oswego State will kick off the regular season with two games on the road, as it will travel to Vermont to face Castleton University. After Oswego State defeated William Smith College 4-1 last week, it will look to build off of that winning momentum and start the regular season off strong against the Spartans.

The last time Oswego State faced Castleton University was back in 2017, where the Lakers were able to walk away with a 3-2 overtime victory. Castleton University is coming off a season where it finished as the runner-up in the New England Hockey Conference. The Spartans will look to build off of their strong finish from last season.

Keys to the Game
Oswego State

Scoring on the power play will definitely be the key for Oswego State this weekend. In the Lakers two exhibition games, they have gone 0-6 on the power play. This is not a cause for concern as head coach Diane Dillon did not establish set units, but being on the road for both games, the Lakers will need to take advantage of power play opportunities. If Oswego State can find the back of the net on the power play this weekend, then Castleton University may see the flood gates open up.

Castleton University

Controlling the puck and puck movement will be the key for Castleton University to have a successful weekend against Oswego State. If the Spartans can control the puck in their offensive zone for the majority of the game, this will help them build off the home ice advantage and give them plenty of opportunities to score. Plus, if they can limit turnovers against an Oswego State defense that has looked very strong so far, they should have no trouble taking care of business.

Players to Watch 
OSW: Rachael Farmer

This weekend against Castleton University will be a huge test for the Lakers senior goaltender. Farmer has only allowed two goals in Oswego State’s two exhibition games but has not been on the ice for a full game this season. Two games on the road will definitely give Farmer a good opportunity to show the coaching staff what she can do with a full 60 minutes of ice time.

CAS: Courtney Gauthier

Last year for the Spartans, Gauthier led the team in scoring with 22 points. The junior forward will look to get off to a hot start against Oswego State. This being her first season as an alternate captain for Castleton University, expect to see Gauthier heavily involved with the offense, whether it be through goals or assists.

Final Thoughts

Oswego State does not look to have the advantage this weekend since it will be on the road for the first time this season. It should be a positive sign that the freshmen for the Lakers were heavily involved in the offense last week and will do nothing but help the team’s play.

For Castleton University, on top of having home ice advantage, they also have plenty of their productive players returning from last year. With many of those players for the Spartans being upperclassmen, look for them to build off of the home ice crowd.

Both teams are coming off very successful season, where they made it to the playoffs in their conferences. This should be an exciting weekend for Lakers hockey.

Photo by: Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian