By Ben Diamond

The regular season for the Oswego State men’s ice hockey team is nearing its end with the Lakers in position to make the playoffs as the SUNYAC second seed. Only trailing behind the second ranked team in Division III Men’s Ice Hockey,  SUNY Geneseo. 

Although the Lakers have lost three more games than Geneseo this season, they still have a chance to overtake them due to both teams having 10 SUNYAC victories, and 31 points overall. Oswego State needs to win the rest of their games on the schedule, and if the Knights drop a game, the Lakers have a chance to take the one seed in the SUNYAC come playoff time.

Being the top seed would make it so the SUNYAC playoffs roll through the Deborah F. Stanley Arena if they are able to continue to win. The Lakers home and road splits are about even with the Lakers going 8-3 at home and 7-2-1 away. So the Lakers should be comfortable wherever they end up playing, but they would prefer to play in front of the home fans.

Oswego State’s last three games are versus SUNYAC opponents Morrisville, Fredonia and Buffalo State. The Lakers have defeated each of these three teams in their previous matchups. SUNY Fredonia is currently sitting in the middle of the pack with only 15 points and a 7-9-1 record, and Buffalo State is second to last in the SUNYAC standings with only seven points and a 4-16 record. The Lakers will hope to take all available points from these matchups and get back to their winning ways after a 4-2 loss to SUNY Geneseo snapped their 7-game winning streak on Feb. 4.

The Lakers’ hot stretch of games can be attributed to the strong play of Travis Broughman. Up until the game versus Geneseo, Broughman had a seven game point streak where he accumulated 12 points as well as a hat trick versus SUNY Cortland and a three assist game versus Buffalo State. He currently has 10 goals and team leading 15 assists on the season giving him 25 points, making him two points shy of his career high.

Alex DiCarlo is another player who has been a factor in the Lakers strong play throughout the season. He is the team’s leader in goals with 11. He also has eight assists, which gives him 19 points on the season. His season totals have already surpassed his previous season highs. He needs just one assist to break his career high. The steady improvement DiCarlo has shown from one season to the next is a good sign for coming seasons.

Connor Sleeth has also been productive for the Lakers with five goals, and 13 assists which are second most on the team. His 18 points are also the third most on the team this season. His season has also been very promising for Lakers head coach Ed Gosek as this is Sleeths first season with the team. He is setting a standard for what the team can expect from him in the future.

Gosek has his eyes set on another run in the playoffs after a gap season. With the way his team has been playing there is hope that the team can stir up some upsets, mainly versus Geneseo, and take home a SUNYAC title. 

The Lakers play Fredonia on  Feb. 18, and Buffalo State on Feb. 19. to close out the season on the road.

Photos provided by Jim Genza