At the end of Saturday’s contest against SUNY Fredonia, thousands of the Laker faithful will remain standing or sitting in their seats long after the game ends. For Senior Night, it is all about the 13 Lakers who get a chance to soak it all in for one of the last times. 

While emotions will run high for those 13 players and their families, the underclassmen will feel it too. For the underclassmen, this massive leadership group is all they have known at Oswego State. When next year rolls around, they will look to continue the legacy and lessons they learned from those that came before them.

This is something that every Lakers team has dealt with, even going back to the time when assistant coach Jon Whitelaw was a young skater. Whitelaw had impactful senior leaders as an underclassman, like Neil Musselwhite and Tyler Lyon. But seniors who will graduate are able to impart wisdom on the younger skaters to keep the program’s tradition alive.

“They’ve done a great job paving the path for our guys to follow,” Whitelaw said. “Passing the torch, setting it up for our incoming class to follow along.”

This season is a bit odd for the Lakers, as they brought in just one freshman, Alex DiCarlo. For DiCarlo, it could have been a rough go. His first time playing college hockey and balancing a potentially difficult schedule with no first-timers to share the struggle with. Despite this, DiCarlo has excelled, contributing 16 points in 18 games played. A big hand in his success has been the seniors on the roster.

“They brought me in like I’m one of the boys,” DiCarlo said. “[They’ve] embraced me and I am very thankful for that.”

While it took DiCarlo a little while to get acclimate to the tougher competition on the ice, the heavy senior presence allowed him to take his time. The Lakers did not need DiCarlo to make his mark in-game during the early stages of the season. However, now he has shot up to become one of the premiere freshman in the SUNYAC. For DiCarlo, his linemates in Michael Gillespie and Anthony Passero have helped him adjust to the new environment.

“I’d say Gillespie, Passero [are] two guys coming in [who] showed me the ropes and took me under their wing,” DiCarlo said. “And I love ‘em for that.”

Sentiments of being a family run high on this Oswego State team. With little turnover from last season, the chemistry was already established, and the trip to Italy furthered the brotherhood, as players like Josh Zizek have noted. Sophomore Travis Broughman recognized the feelings in the room, and how special the seniors are when reflecting on their Senior Night.

“They really mean a lot,” Broughman said. “Us just being a big family; they’re a great group of guys and I’m sad they’re going to be leaving soon.”

Broughman has built an extremely close bond with Passero who was also a first-year Laker in 2018 as he transferred from Buffalo State. The two spent most of their Oswego State careers on the same line, combining for 53 points in 28 games last season. On the ice, the chemistry makes sense. Broughman is a hard-nosed grinder who can work the boards and pick up the puck. Passero has silky hands and can complete passes through tight windows to Broughman who has a wicked shot. Off the ice, Passero has taught the young skater quite a bit.

“Anthony’s been a huge guy in my college career,” Broughman said. “We talk a lot on the ice, off the ice … [about] how we can be better. That helps my game overall, and I thank him a lot.”

Perhaps the most interesting dynamic on a hockey team is the goaltenders. In this case for the Lakers, it is three competitive goalies battling for one net. Despite this, the two seniors between the pipes, Cedric Hansen and David Richer, have been nothing but supportive for Steven Kozikoski throughout his time at Oswego State. Richer and Kozikoski had similar starts to their time as Lakers. Richer was required to redshirt his freshman season and lose that year of eligibility, after playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Kozikoski, on the other hand, sat out his freshman year with Richer and Hansen playing well as the two goalies ahead of him. For Kozikoski, Richer was a huge help in staying sharp without playing games.

“He said just keep working in the gym, make sure you’re out there after practice, getting your reps in,” Kozikoski said. “He did that [when he sat out] and it worked for him, so I was just following.”

Now in his sophomore campaign, Kozikoski has taken the starting role since late January. While he came in with undeniable skills in net, the senior goalies have done so much for him. The goaltending trio has been incredibly tight, as they look to make the unit as a whole better.

“It’s one of the best goalie partnerships we’ve had,” Kozikoski said. “We are really close and always talk … figuring out what we can do better as a group.”

Improving the group will be very important beyond this year. With Richer and Hansen graduating, Kozikoski will be the lone returner between the pipes. In the final weeks of the season, the goalies will look to share final lessons that Kozikoski may pass on to future netminders.

This is something the entire team must deal with, passing on the traits good leaders have. Losing 13 seniors will take its toll on the program, but that is what happens in collegiate athletics. The best way to combat the losses will be the underclassmen those seniors were able to teach.

“We are going to need guys to step into those roles and teach the new guys the ropes and how our program functions,” Whitelaw said. “The way our guys have conducted themselves over their four years, they’ll be a very good example for our incoming group.”

Zizek may only be a captain and a Laker for just three more games pending playoffs. The team could lose 12 other leaders in just three more games. But the best way the seniors have helped the underclassmen is by passing down the legacy and what it means to be a Laker.

“It will be tough not to see them around the room next year,” DiCarlo said. “But they put in their time. They had a good time. Hopefully I can have a career like theirs … Hopefully I can be like them to the freshmen when I’m a senior.”

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian