Seven hundred and sixty stuffed animals were thrown onto the ice in the No. 3 Oswego State men’s hockey team 4-1 Teddy Bear Toss win over The College at Brockport Friday night.

Those stuffed animals also went along with $945 that was donated by different fans toward the Toys for Tots foundation in Oswego County.

And all of it started with a goal from Jody Sullivan at 16:22 of the opening period, which then tied the game at one. He tapped in the goal after a cross-ice pass from Joseph Molinaro, who had three assists in the game.

“[Molinaro] played his game. Simple, hardworking, playing as a power forward. That’s when he’s best,” Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said. “A lot of our guys made nice plays the right way. We didn’t try to beat guys by being fancy.”

Those simple plays also led to the Lakers’ first power play goal of the season. They are now 1-11, with a 9.1% success rate on the man-advantage. Oswego State also killed five of its six penalties.

Travis Broughman was able to capitalize on the power play for his first goal of the season.

“It’s a still a work on progress. But, I thought for the most part it was better,” Gosek said. “I thought we had some good looks at the end in the last three minutes [of the game]. It’s a strong starting point.”

David Richer was the starter in net, stopping 21 shots on 22 saves, after allowing the lone Golden Eagles’ goal while the Lakers were shorthanded. He spent the week day-to-day after a left leg injury against Plattsburgh State and did not dress against SUNY Potsdam.

He stopped a couple key breakaways for the Lakers, leaving them with that larger goal differential toward the end of the game. Gosek said Richer tracked the puck well.

“His rebound control was solid,” Gosek said. “It was just a lot of little things that he did tonight. He intelligently moved the puck.”

Josh Zizek and Colton Fletcher also scored for Oswego State. Jake Colosanti was the only member from The College at Brockport to find the back of the net. Matt Schneider made 30 saves in net for the Golden Eagles.

The College at Brockport (3-2-0, 3-2-0 SUNYAC) now faces SUNY Cortland on Saturday. The Lakers’ physical weekend continues as they travel to No. 2 SUNY Geneseo on Saturday, as well.

With eight points in league play, Oswego State also now has sole possession of first place in the league.

It will be Oswego State’s (4-0-0, 4-0-0 SUNYAC) first trip to the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena since the 2019 SUNYAC Championship, where the Knights won 4-3 for their second straight league title.

The game also marks the beginning of a six-game streak of road games. the Lakers will also travel to Hobart College, Buffalo State and SUNY Fredonia in the following weeks. After Thanksgiving, the Lakers will be in Utica for the Utica College Tournament.

“We need to enjoy this first and then watch some video and break it down,” Gosek said. “It’ll be a hell of a test on the road. It’s a tough stretch starting here with Geneseo. We’ll take it one game at a time.”

Photo by Ben Grieco | The Oswegonian