The Oswego State women’s hockey team will be back in the Marano Campus Center this afternoon, after traveling to SUNY Canton on Friday, where the team came away with a 2-1 win. The Lakers will face Amherst College, who are coming off a 3-0 loss to Elmira College and will look to bounce back before it takes time off for winter break.

Keys to the Game

Oswego State

Winning faceoffs will be the key to Oswego State getting a win this afternoon. As a team, the Lakers have won over 50% of their faceoffs. If they can win the battle in the faceoffs circle, especially in their offensive zone, they should have more offensive opportunities.

Amherst College

The penalty kill will be the key to Amherst College leaving Oswego with a win. The Mammoths are 22-24 on the penalty kill so far this year, good for 91.6%. As a teamm it will need to continue that dominance going up against an Oswego State power play that has been on fire, scoring seven power play goals in its last five games.

By the Numbers

Record (Conference)

OSW: 7-2-1 (5-2-1)

AMH: 2-3-2 (1-2-1)

Goals (Per Game)

OSW: 28 (2.8)

AMH: (2.1)

Shots (Per Game)

OSW: 322 (32.2)

AMH: 216 (30.9)

Power Play (Percentage)

OSW: 11-49 (.224)

AMH: 3-28 (.107)

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Amber Thomas

Thomas had a rather quiet game offensively against SUNY Canton. Coming back to Oswego and playing on home ice should give her a boost of confidence, that could result in generating a lot of offense with her speedy linemates in Megan Teachout and Eryn Stewart.

Amherst College: Jillian Mazzocca

The Mammoths’ leading scorer is also coming off of a quiet game, where her team was shut out. Amherst College is undefeated in games where Mazzocca scores a goal, so she will need to contribute offensively to give her team the best chance to win.

Final Thoughts

This game truly has the feeling that either team could win this afternoon. This will be each teams’ final game of the decade, as they will not be playing their next games until January. Oswego State and Amherst College will look to go on this month long break with some positive momentum.  

Photo By Casey Stone | The Oswegonian