The Oswego State women’s hockey team is set for a Wednesday night contest against Morrisville State. The Lakers are coming off of a game against SUNY Potsdam that ended in a 3-3 tie, while the Mustangs last game was at the Marano Campus Center Ice Arena, where they defeated Oswego State 2-0.

Keys to the Game

Oswego State

Staying out of the penalty box will be the key to Oswego State winning tonight. In its last three games, the team has been in the penalty box sixteen times, seven of those penalties took place in the third period. In the Lakers last game, SUNY Potsdam was able to tie the game while on the power play, scoring two power play goals. In order to prevent that from happening again, the Lakers must play a more disciplined style of hockey than they have been as of late.

Morrisville State

Scoring early will be the key for Morrisville State to leave Oswego with a win. Oswego State has not been able to comeback recently when it is not the team that scores first. If the Mustangs can take advantage of having more rest since the last time the two teams faced each other and take the home crowd out of the game, then they should be able to beat Oswego State for the second time in a row. 

By the Numbers

Record (Conference)

OSW: 9-6-4 (6-4-4)

MOR: 10-9-1 (7-5-1)

Goals (Per Game)

OSW: 51 (2.7)
MOR: 48 (2.4)

Shots (Per Game)

OSW: 598 (31.5)
MOR: 602 (30.1)

Power Play (Percentage)

OSW: 13-74 (.176)
MOR: 14-71 (.197)

Players to Watch

Oswego State: Kyleigh Grugin

The freshman forward started the season a little quieter offensively, despite getting top-six minutes. As of late she has been able to generate some offense for her teammates with three assists in the last five games. However, Grugin has been getting plenty of opportunities to score and has not been able to find the back of the net. Add that to being moved up to the second line to play alongside the teams leading scorer in Megan Teachout and expect her to see plenty of ice time tonight.

Morrisville State: Maddison Devlin

Devlin is coming off of a game where she scored two goals, one on the power play, at the expense of the Lakers. Being the Mustangs’ leading scorer, we should expect her to see plenty of ice time and have more offensive opportunities than anyone on her team. This could result in another big game against Oswego State.

Final Thoughts

This is one of Oswego State’s most important games of the season. The Lakers are currently in a four-way race for second place in the NEWHL with Morrisville State, SUNY Cortland and SUNY Potsdam. Of Oswego State’s remaining games, it only faces one team that it is fighting for the second-seed, Morrisville State tonight. The Mustangs should be the favorites tonight, since they have won their last three games in a row, including one against Oswego State last Friday. If tonight’s game is similar to the other games these two teams have played then we should expect a close game from start to finish.

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian