The regular season is coming to an end for the Oswego State women’s hockey team. The team has only three regular season games left before the playoffs with its final home game Saturday against Buffalo State. Saturday will also be Senior Day for the Lakers, who will be celebrating four seniors .

The Lakers that will be honored are captain Kate Randazzo, Eryn Stewart, Rachael Farmer and alternate captain Madison Byrne. All these players have made a significant impact during their time at Oswego State on and off the ice in their own different ways. This will be head coach Diane Dillon’s 14th senior day at Oswego State, and she cannot help but feel proud of this year’s senior class.

“It’s bittersweet,” Dillon said. “I’m thrilled for them that they have reached the pinnacle of their careers, but I’m sad to see them go. At the same time I’m excited for them to take the next step and start the next chapter of their lives.”

When it comes to Randazzo, she has been at Oswego State for four years. In her career playing for the Lakers, she has tallied 11 goals and 40 assists for a total of 51 points. This makes Randazzo the all-time leading scorer among all defenders in Oswego State history. This year has also been Randazzo’s third year as a captain in some capacity for the Lakers, as she was an alternate captain her sophomore year and captain last season. Associate head coach Mark Digby cannot think of a better person to lead this team.

“Kate has been a three-year captain for a reason,” Digby said. “Anybody that I have ever met in my life that wouldn’t follow that kid, I wouldn’t want anything to do with them. Every single day her approach to everything is the same. She is so passionate about everything that she does and is the type of person that you hope you can surround yourself with in life.”

When discussing Randazzo, Dillon added in the growth she has seen from the Lakers’ captain as a person since her freshman year at Oswego State.

“Kate is an outstanding young lady,” Dillon said. “Just watching her grow from the day she stepped on this campus as a shy freshman that couldn’t look me in the eye, to now leading her Laker teammates has been fun.”

The second senior out of this group in Stewart has also been at Oswego State for four years. Stewart has tallied 23 goals and 34 assists for a total of 57 points during her time at Oswego State. When discussing Stewart, Dillon mentioned that the scoring she brings to the team will definitely be missed.

“Eryn’s leaving some big skates to fill,” Dillon said. “She has worked really hard at the craft of hockey and making her game the best it can be, but her quirkiness and sense of humor certainly brings another element to the bench and locker room.”

Byrne has also been at Oswego State for four years. Byrne is known for her stout defensive play over her 90 games played. She has scored one goal and five assists for a total of six points. Dillon explained how Byrne has an infectious personality and referred to her as the “mama bear” of the team.

“Madison is one of the sweetest kids I have ever met,” Dillon said. “She is someone who is nice and genuine. Then goes on the ice and is a big tough hockey player. A lot of people will come to her for advice and that makes her not just a great teammate but an all-around great friend.”

Oswego State’s starting goaltender in Farmer is the only senior that has not been a Laker for her entire college hockey career. Farmer originally attended SUNY Cortland for two years before transferring to Oswego State last season. Farmer has played in 36 games for the Lakers, while earning 16 wins as the Lakers’ starter in net. Digby appreciated Farmer’s constant work ethic throughout the season, especially when she was the only goalie on the team. 

“I can’t say enough good things about the way she sets the tone for our team night in and night out,” Digby said. “There’s a lot of people that in her situation, being the only goalie here, would have had more of a laxed attitude. It would’ve been easy for her to not compete, but she competes every day in practice and stays out after practice to work on things. That definitely rubs off on people.”

Both coaches could not help but smile when talking about how great of a person each senior is. They were very proud when discussing how hard each senior works in the classroom and at the rink. Dillon expressed how greatly each player will be missed next year.

“All four of them are great kids,” Dillon said. “I mean that truly. Sometimes you can’t honestly say that, but these four are all the kind of people we’re thrilled to have representing and playing for the Lakers.”

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian