When Oswego State men’s hockey fans think of Whiteout Weekend, their thoughts revolve around the Plattsburgh State Cardinals. The bagels in the old Romney Ice Rink, the student section in the Marano Campus Center, and some of the famous goal celebrations from over the years. One of the biggest atmospheres in all of college sports happens right here on the SUNY Oswego campus during that important rivalry matchup. 

But what about the other conference game that occurs over the special weekend? The SUNY Potsdam men’s hockey team travels to Oswego on Friday night to take on the Lakers to kick off Whiteout Weekend with 7:00 p.m. puck drop in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The little brother to the Cardinals comes into the contest with an overall record of 1-13 and trailing the Lakers in the matchup history. Overall, Oswego State has an overall record of 74-29-2 against SUNY Potsdam. Compared to the Plattsburgh State matchup history, this is the only time the Lakers hold the upper hand between the two Whiteout Weekend opponents. 

The Bears are still looking for their first SUNYAC win of the season and could play spoiler in the rest of the conference. For the Lakers and head coach Ed Gosek, his team cannot look past the crucial three points Friday night.

“Potsdam is having a tough stretch, but I can guarantee you that they are going to come in and want to play spoilers,” Gosek said. “You just have to be prepared. Some games are going to be ugly, and some are going to go like last Friday.”

Last Friday the Lakers took on Buffalo State that ended in a 5-0 final on home ice in favor of the guys in green and gold. Oswego State looks to continue their two-game win streak tomorrow night against Potsdam. In recent years, the Lakers have had the Bear’s number as Oswego State has won the last five contests against SUNY Potsdam. The two teams have already faced off in the North Country this season that ended in an Oswego State win, but only a 2-1 score line. The Lakers put two goals in during the second period and held on for the win as defenseman Ryan Bunka secured the game winner. However, SUNY Potsdam held the lead during the first period in the matchup from earlier this season. Assistant coach Jon Whitelaw touched on the match up.

“We had a tough game against them earlier this year,” Whitelaw said. “This weekend, whenever any team comes in here no matter what place they are in, they like to give us their best game. We know they are looking for their first SUNYAC win and no better place to get it than here. They are going to bring a competitive team; they always do, and they always play us well. For us, this is a big three points with the standings being so tight.”

Both teams are on different paths right now in conference play. Potsdam looks to sneak into the sixth spot in the conference right before the end of the regular season while Oswego State is chasing the Geneseo Ice Knights who have not dropped a game yet this year. Due to scheduling, the Lakers have a game at hand compared to the two squads above them and Friday night is another night to continue to close the margin. Although the big contest is Saturday night, all six points are necessary if the Lakers want to control their destiny heading into the postseason. Goaltender Steven Kozikoski talked about the weekend.

“We cannot be focused on Saturday against Plattsburgh,” Kozikoski said. “Although that’s the big game of the weekend, we still need six points. Focus on Potsdam, play hard and play well and clean and stay out of the chippiness and score as many goals as we can.”

Kozikoski has seen his game improve since the start of the 2021-22 season. After leaving the contest against the Nazareth College Golden Flyers prior to winter break due to a late game injury, the Central New York native has been able to bounce back and post better numbers than the games from the fall semester. Most recently, the Laker had a shutout performance against Buffalo State which featured Kozikoski making a total of 35 saves while in between the pipes for the Lakers. Heading into the contest, the goaltender posted a 1.73 goals against average and a .939 save percentage which ranks fourth in the conference in terms of save percentage. 

With Saturday night’s rivalry game close to a sell out in terms of general admission, the question lies in how many fans will show up to Friday night’s showdown. Lately, the Oswego State crew has been playing in front of fewer fans than the group is used to due to the lack of students on campus during break and the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols. The coaching staff thinks the team has been able to make their own energy on the ice and play for each other instead of the crowd.

“The arena has been quiet,” Gosek said. “What I was proud about Friday night was that the lack of crowd was not a negative energy. The guys built off each other and played for themselves. It is about the team first mentality. Friday night, I saw guys that scored point to the individual that passed the puck.”

The team has rallied around cancellations due to COVID-19 and practices being pushed off due to safety precautions. After losing to Augsburg at the beginning of the calendar year, the Lakers have stringed together a two-game win streak heading into the weekend. The Lakers will play in the forgotten matchup Friday night at 7:00 p.m. against the SUNY Potsdam Bears before taking on the Plattsburgh State Cardinals on Saturday to complete Whiteout Weekend. Both contests will be held inside the Deborah F. Stanley Arena in the Marano Campus Center and are expected to be full of Laker faithful ready for the return of Whiteout.

Image via Oswego State Athletics (@OswegoAthletics)