After a solid 13-3-10-1 (7-2-4-1 NECHL) season, it all comes down to this weekend for the Oswego State men’s ACHA club hockey team. Last Sunday, the Lakers captured a 3-2 victory over Canisius College on home ice, securing the three seed in the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League tournament. The single-elimination tournament is being played this weekend in Buffalo, with six teams competing for the automatic bid in the ACHA National Div. I Hockey Tournament in Frisco, Texas.
Although the Lakers tied the Rochester Institute of Technology with 26 league points, the Tigers get the advantage after winning the tiebreaker. Oswego State will not have a bye and will match up with Rutgers University (7-1-15-2, 5-0-9-0 NECHL) on Friday.
The Lakers and Scarlet Knights met twice in the regular season back in October. Rutgers University won the first matchup 3-1, despite being outshot 48-24. The Lakers bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory in the second game.
“The first game we came out flat,” Oswego State head coach Chris Timmons said. “We went in expecting to just roll over them and that is not the case. Any game is up for grabs and at that point in time we just weren’t ready. We were able to wake up the second game and get a big three points.”
If the Lakers can play like they did in the second meeting, they will have a date with the Rochester Institute of Technology in the semifinals on Saturday. Oswego State controlled its own destiny going into the last weekend of games, but fell 1-0 to the Tigers in regulation. The lone Tigers’ goal came in the first period on the power play. The Lakers won the shot battle 47-30.
“That game was one of our frustrating games,” Timmons said. “I thought it was going really well for us, playing our systems well and dominating play. We just couldn’t get it past a hot goalie. All it took for them was one power-play opportunity.”
Special teams won the day last weekend for the Tigers, but it is often the Lakers that own the power play. They have converted at a 23.7% clip this season.
“The biggest thing has been the evolution to using our lower side,” Timmons said. “At the beginning of the season we were really top heavy, just trying to get it to those right sides. That resulted in more chances and gave us more goals.”
Oswego State has been led in the scoring category by Luke Myers, who has 37 points in 27 games. It has also had major help from freshman sensation Braydon Deming. Deming is second on the team with 33 points and has scored five points in his last two games.
“He’s been a lot better in terms of puck movement,” Timmons said. “At some points early on, he was trying to do everything on his own. As the season built up, you can tell the passing is there, he’s looking for the open guy. For him, it’s creating space in the offensive zone.”
In net, the Lakers have a steady presence in Alex Gallose. Gallose posted a .928 save percentage in the regular season paired with a 2.56 goals against average. In a single-elimination tournament where teams play three games in three days to win a title, goaltending is of the utmost importance.
“I expect the same thing I get from him all year,” Timmons said. “Just consistency and playing to his strengths. If one gets past him this weekend, he has to just stay focused on the task at hand. This is his fourth year being with us. As long as he’s playing his game, I expect to ride him all the way to the championship.”
On the road to a potential championship, the Lakers could face either No. 1 seed Niagara University, No. 4 University at Buffalo or No. 5 Canisius College. Oswego State has beaten all three of these teams at least once in the regular season, as well as the aforementioned Tigers. If the Lakers are to win their first-ever NECHL title, the formula is simple.
“If we play our game,” Timmons said. “If we play a full 60 minutes. It’s something I’ve barked at to the guys all season long. When we play a full game, and rely on our systems, then we have no problem taking the whole thing. It’s a matter of consistency which is probably the toughest thing to overcome as a team.”
Photo by Alexis Fragapane | The Oswegonian
