The Oswego State men’s hockey team has had a long and tumultuous regular season up to this point, but it all leads up to the Lakers final two games of their regular season. The Lakers are 10-4 in conference play this season heading into this weekend facing Buffalo State and SUNY Fredonia.

The last time the Lakers took the ice was on Feb. 8 vs. Morrisville State on the road.  Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek explained how to keep the focus up with such a big break in-between games.

“Every team is different,” Gosek said. “There are years where at this time of the year you’re giving the players days off and you want to make sure you have legs. It’s a long, grueling season even if it’s only 25 games, there’s a lot of guys beat up and we’ve had season-ending injuries. With this team we don’t give them a lot of days off.”

With playoffs looming for Oswego State, the team’s focus in practice is intensity.

“We shorten the practices way up,” Gosek said. “We keep the practices intense, that’s what seems to work with this group. Just going out there and doing drills, fundamental drills…not so much right now. Everything is intensity, system based and then skill sessions in the afternoon…I would rather have them come hungry, and really want to practice.”

With Plattsburgh State losing against Buffalo State and SUNY Geneseo losing to Fredonia, the Lakers are in a position where if they win-out, they would have sole first place in the conference and receive the first round bye.

“We control our own destiny,” Gosek said. “With other teams not taking care of business it puts us into a position where if we can win-out, we would stay home for the playoffs as long as we can be successful.  We have to get back into good habits, get back to the way we started this year. We feel like we’re heading in the right direction.”

On Feb. 17 the Lakers will face Buffalo State led by the conference leader in points, Nikita Kozyrev. However, the Lakers have faced plenty of strong offenses this season and will have a gameplan to stop them.

“It starts with a tight gap,” Gosek said. “Awareness entering our defensive zone, you have to engage quickly. Not giving them time and space to make plays cause if you do, they’re going to score.”

The Lakers defeated Buffalo State back in early December by a score of 5-2 on the road. The Lakers stepped on the gas quickly and never looked back against the Bengals. The last time the Lakers faced Fredonia it was also back in early December, as the Lakers defeated the Blue Devils by a score of 3-0.

Although the playoffs are clearly in the minds of players Matt McQuade and Drake Semrad, it is all about taking it week-by-week.

“We’re focused on this week right now,” McQuade said. “Obviously playoffs are in our minds but we need to get first place and that’s our priority right now. Right now it’s just a game-to-game basis. We’ve got two more games left to go that we’ve got to take care of.”

According to both McQuade and Semrad, when it comes down to the end of the regular season and especially the playoffs, it is what sets you apart from everyone else that leads you to victories. The Lakers believe their difference-maker is the competitiveness they bring to the table every single day.

“Our conditioning and strength training is at a higher level than any other team,” Semrad said. “Our work ethic…the biggest difference between us and our opponents is our compete level. We have a lot of depth from top to bottom, everyone is fighting for a lineup spot everyday. We have a lot of competition within the team here.”

The matchup on Feb. 17 is scheduled for a 7 p.m. puck drop in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena against Buffalo State. The following day, the Lakers will face Fredonia. That puck drop is also scheduled for 7 p.m.

Photo provided by: Hannah Pinnock

Lakers forward Matt McQuade (#21) carries the puck through the neutral zone looking for an opportunity to attack versus rival SUNY Geneseo.