Steven Kozikoski earned his first collegiate shutout yesterday as the Oswego State men’s hockey team defeated Morrisville State 4-0 to put the Lakers back on a winning track. The grudge match is scheduled for today with the puck drop at 7 p.m.

After yesterday’s game, still the last time Oswego State fell to the Mustangs was on Feb. 12, 2011, in a 5-2 loss. The next game, on Nov. 12, 2011, which was the next season, ended in a 3-3 tie. The Lakers are on a 16-game win streak against Morrisville State, and boast a 25-1-2 overall record and a 14-0-0 record when playing at Morrisville State.

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Last Time Out

Oswego State / Morrisville State

In yesterday’s matchup between the two teams, the Lakers grabbed the crucial two points in SUNYAC play with the 4-0 shutout. Steven Kozikoski only had to stop 11 shots in the shutout, only saving two in the second period alone. Max Novick had two points, recording two assists on Anthony Passero’s (1g) goal and Josh Zizek’s (1g) goal. Mitch Emerson and Joseph Molinaro rounding out the scoring. Tyler Antonucci, Tyler Currie, Tanner Spink, Michael Gillespie and Tyson Kirkby all added assists in the game. Oswego State’s power play went 1-4 thanks to Emerson’s goal and killed both penalties it committed.

For Morrisville State, no players recorded a point and only threw 11 shots on net. James Boisvert and Jestin Somero led the team with two shots each. The Mustangs did win the faceoff battle, winning 30 draws and dropping 27. In terms of special teams, Morrisville State went 0-2 on the man-advantage, while going 3-4 on the penalty kill. Bennett Weycker’s tripping call was the penalty where the penalty kill allowed the goal. Jared Young made 31 saves, 16 alone in the first period.

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By the Numbers

RECORD (conference)

OSW: 12-9-1 (9-3-1 SUNYAC)

MOR: 9-12-0 (5-8-0 SUNYAC)

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GOALS (per game)

OSW: 84 (3.8)

MOR: 50 (2.4)

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SHOTS (per game)

OSW: 790 (35.9)

MOR: 499 (23.8)

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POWER PLAY (percentage)

OSW: 21-89 (23.6%)

MOR: 17-90 (18.9%)

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PENALTY KILL (percentage)

OSW: 69-89 (77.5%)

MOR: 57-79 (72.1%)

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Statistic Leaders

Oswego State

Goals

1. Travis Broughman — 12
2. Josh Zizek — 9
3. Alex DiCarlo — 8

Assists

1. Anthony Passero — 17
2. Max Novick — 16
3. Michael Gillespie — 15

Points

1. Travis Broughman / Anthony Passero — 23
2. Max Novick — 22
3. Michael Gillespie — 21

Plus/Minus

1. Max Novick — +17
2. Carter Allen — +15
3. Travis Broughmn — +12

Save Percentage (total saves)

1. Steven Kozikoski — .927 (139 total saves)
2. David Richer — .906 (307 total saves)
3. Cedric Hansen — .819 (59 total saves)

Goals Against Average (goals allowed)

1. Steven Kozikoski — 1.81 (11 goals allowed, 1 shutout)
2. David Richer — 2.46 (32 goals allowed, 3 shutouts)
3. Cedric Hansen — 4.41 (13 goals allowed)

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Morrisville State

Goals

1. Eric Melso — 12
2. Nick DeVito / Jestin Somero — 6
3. Ben Sprague / Ryan Bochert — 4

Assists

1. Nick DeVito — 15
2. James Boisvert — 9
3. Jestin Somero — 7

Points

1. Nick DeVito — 21
2. Eric Melso — 18
3. Jestin Somero — 13

Save Percentage (total saves)

1. Jared Young — .894 (559 total saves)
2. Owen Liskiewicz — .880 (125 total saves)
3. Jorgen Johnson — .864 (19 total saves)

Goals Against Average (goals allowed)

1. Jorgen Johnson — 4.01 (3 goals allowed)
2. Jared Young — 4.06 (66 goals allowed, 1 shutout)
3. Owen Liskiewicz — 4.92 (17 goals allowed)

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Starting Lines

Oswego State

Forwards

Mitch Emerson — Anthony Passero — Alex DiCarlo

Michael Gillespie — Josh Zizek — Travis Broughman

Jody Sullivan — Mac Lewis — Joseph Molinaro

Josh LeBlanc — Tyson Kirkby — Derek Brown

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Defense

Carter Allen — Carson Vance

Max Novick — Tyler Antonucci

Chris MacMillan — Tyler Currie

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Extra Skater

Joey Scorpio

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Goaltenders

David Richer (starter)

Steven Kozikoski

Cedric Hansen

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Scratches: Charlie Pelnik, Tanner Spink, Jeff Solow, Ryan Bunka

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Morrisville State

Lines not provided at time of publishing preview.

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Players to Watch

OSW: Anthony Passero

It had been three weeks since Anthony Passero recorded a goal. While the senior has contributed with the strong pass, leading the team with 17 assists on the year. After his goal against Morrisville State, he is now tied with Travis Broughman for the team-lead in points, as well. With three regular-season games remaining, Passero knows his time is coming to a close. He wants to try to extend his season as much as possible, so expect him to continue his scoring to push the Lakers to the next level in preparation for playoffs.

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MOR: Eric Melso

Eric Melso is the Mustangs’ most consistent goal-scorer, tallying 12 goals on the year. He last scored against SUNY Canton last weekend, but was obviously held scoreless against the Lakers. His offensive capabilities will be key as Morrisville State tries to get at least get one goal past David Richer in tonight’s contest.

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SUNYAC Update

Following the action from Friday, here are the updated SUNYAC standings heading into Saturday. (Legend: x – clinched)

1. x – SUNY Geneseo — 24 points (18-3-2 overall, 11-1-2 SUNYAC)
2. x – Oswego State — 19 points (12-9-1 overall, 9-3-1 SUNYAC)
3. Buffalo State — 15 points (11-9-2 overall, 7-5-1 SUNYAC)
4. The College at Brockport — 13 points (13-8-1 overall, 6-6-1 SUNYAC)
5. SUNY Potsdam — 12 points (6-15-2 overall, 5-8-2 SUNYAC)
6. SUNY Cortland — 10 points (11-9-1 overall, 5-8-0 SUNYAC)
7. Morrisville State — 10 points (9-12-0 overall, 5-8-0 SUNYAC)
8. SUNY Fredonia — 9 points (6-9-7 overall, 3-7-3 SUNYAC)
9. Plattsburgh State — 8 points (6-13-3 overall, 3-8-2 SUNYAC)

Saturday’s SUNYAC schedule:

• SUNY Geneseo travels to SUNY Fredonia for a road game at 7 p.m. tonight
• Oswego State plays the second game of the Morrisville State weekend with 7 p.m. puck-drop
• Buffalo State hosts The College at Brockport as it tries to stay in the fight for second place with a 7 p.m. game
• The College at Brockport travels just a little north from Fredonia to Buffalo State with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.
• SUNY Potsdam will play Plattsburgh State while also honoring its seniors for a North Country battle with a 7 p.m. start-time
• SUNY Cortland will travel for its last non-league game of the season with a 7 p.m. game against Elmira College
• Morrisville State will try to split the weekend with Oswego State in a 7 p.m. game at the Morrisville State Iceplex
• SUNY Fredonia hosts No. 3 SUNY Geneseo as it tries to climb into the SUNYAC playoffs with a 7 p.m. game
• Plattsburgh State travels to SUNY Potsdam in an attempt to jump from the basement of the league for a 7 p.m. start-time

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Prediction

Oswego State has two more points on the line. If the Lakers win and SUNYAC rival Buffalo State falls, then they clinch the second seed for the playoffs which is huge.

After a shutout yesterday, Steven Kozikoski was given the day off. David Richer will play in his first game since the 3-2 overtime loss to SUNY Cortland on Jan. 24. A lot of eyes will be on him to see if he can match his production similar to the beginning of the year.

Travis Broughman and Alex DiCarlo were both held scoreless and pointless for the first time in a couple weeks, they will look to bounce back in this game against Morrisville State, too. If those two players can starting gelling with guys like Anthony Passero and Michael Gillespie, the first couple offensive lines will be deadly for the next couple games.

Prediction: Oswego State pulls this one off 5-1.

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Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian