Oswego State lost its second NEWHL title game in three seasons to Plattsburgh State, as the Cardinals will advance to the NCAA tournament.

Offense:

The Oswego State offense impressed to some extent against the best team in Div. III. In the first period, it took a while to generate shots on goal, but the Lakers had chances and were able to create a bit of a cycle game.

The first shot for the Lakers came at 7:52 from Philomena Teggart at center point. It was a “cannon” of a slap shot, as head coach Diane Dillon described and Ashley Davis did not move to make the save due to a screen.

The Lakers generated 21 shots on goal through three periods of play, the most they had against the Cardinals through the four total games they have played this season. That is a testament to the Lakers ability to establish a forecheck despite the speed of the Cardinals. Oswego State was even able to skate with Plattsburgh State stride for stride, resulting in a handful of odd woman rushes for the Lakers.

Overall for Oswego State’s offense, it struggled to generate Grade A chances but that was more due to the Cardinals swarming defense and play in the neutral zone. Several times, the Cardinals hemmed the Oswego State defense in its own zone for so long. When the Lakers finally exited the zone, the skaters were at the end of their shifts, forcing the Lakers to dump it in and go for a line change.

Defense

Despite surrendering six goals off of 55 shots, the Lakers kept Plattsburgh State away from the slot and other high danger scoring areas. The only real faults in Oswego State’s defensive armor came within one stick length of the net, something associate head coach Mark Digby spoke about before the game. The Cardinals scored their first five goals from right around the crease off of rebound chances.

The Lakers as a team struggled a bit with exiting their own zone with control of the puck. The Cardinals forecheck was incredibly effective throughout most of the game, forcing Oswego State to either chip it out or try to ring it around the boards. Either way, it seemed as if the Cardinals were holding the puck at the blueline or retrieving it in the neutral zone. Because of this, the Lakers gave up a handful of second chance opportunities.

One thing Oswego State did extremely well is limit the high quality chances for Plattsburgh State. The Cardinals are one of the most electric offenses in all of Div. III hockey and frankly, they can score at will. One moment that stands out from the Cardinals’ offense is in a game against SUNY Canton, where Plattsburgh State escaped its zone and within seconds it had a two-on-one in the Kangaroos end. The Cardinals’ skaters crossed in the high slot, used a drop pass and resulted in an easy tap-in. Oswego State did not give up these types of chances, using its speed to cut off possible rushes through the neutral zone.

Goaltending

In Rachael Farmer’s final game as a collegiate goaltender, she saw plenty of action. Farmer made 49 saves and 20 in the first period. At the end of the first, the score was 2-1, and each one of Farmer’s saves were critical in keeping the Lakers in the game.

Despite Farmer’s great play overall, there were a couple goals that, “she wanted back.” On these few goals, Farmer stood tall, rather than dropping into the butterfly to cover the bottom of the net.

Overall, Farmer had a tremendous game in net. Making 49 saves is incredible. And as Dillon said. “she is the backbone of our team and was again today.”

Special Teams

Oswego State killed off one of the two penalties it took during the game. The discipline the Lakers showed today was very impressive, something that has not been seen in quite some time. The Lakers used their legs to skate with the Cardinals to avoid tripping penalties. Going against the best power play in the NEWHL, it is expected that the Lakers would surrender a goal or two.

The power play for the Lakers had five chances, including 23 seconds of five-on-three. Oswego State failed to score a goal on the woman-advantage but moved the puck well at some points in the game. To beat an elite team like the Cardinals, Oswego State needed to win the special teams battle, and unfortunately for Lakers’ fans, Oswego State failed to do so.

Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian