After a week off, the Lakers are primed for playoff hockey as they travel to face SUNY Cortland on Feb. 25.

There is plenty of history between these two hockey teams, the Lakers faced the Red Dragons in last year’s NEWHL semifinals and lost in an overtime heartbreaker 1-0.  The Lakers did not forget that game either.

“I think it’s very personal, losing at our home ice in overtime,” said Ashlyn McGrath, the team’s leader in goals, said in an interview with 104 Sports.  “I was out there for that goal, so taking that into consideration, knowing that we’re away now that we had to build up all the momentum.  I think having this weekend off benefitted us, getting us into the right mental state…I think we’re all ready to get some revenge.”

The ferocity and devotion this team carries with them is the difference between the Lakers we have seen in the past and the team we see now.

“Everyone loves each other, on and off the ice,” said McGrath. “We’re always happy to be there with a smile on our faces and through adversity, we bounce back no matter what and I think that is a huge factor from past teams…no matter how many games we lose, we bounce back.”

The Lakers’ last matchup was two weeks ago. This big break in-between games could be beneficial but it can also be detrimental to the team.

“It can go both ways. It can be very good for your mental and physical health but it can also be bad if you get into that rest state-of-mind,” McGrath said. “I think our team, with the experience from last year with that playoff loss, the revenge mindset on top of that loss we had against them two weeks ago, we’re all ready to get back to work and get that rust off, then we’ll be ready.”

The Lakers will be facing the best goalie in the NEWHL when it comes to save percentage in Molly Georgen with a .947. Back in November, the Lakers were able to beat the Red Dragons twice with the scores being 2-1 and 1-0 respectively.  However, most recently Georgen and the Red Dragons had a shutout victory, winning 2-0 on Feb. 10. Georgen had 28 saves that game. 

The Lakers will have a game plan surrounding how to beat Georgen and the Red Dragons.

“We thankfully have three well-rounded goalies that can point out her strengths and weaknesses,” McGrath said in the interview with 104 Sports. “They studied her and presented to our team how to beat her, I think having that component really helped our team.”

Another key part of that game plan against SUNY Cortland is keeping that team energy at the highest possible level it can be.

“We always talk about bench energy,” McGrath said. “Our team does phenomenal at that, we’re always screaming and yelling and cheering on everyone.  We found that when we do more of that, we play better…I think that’s our biggest factor heading into this game.”

The Lakers are skating into the playoffs coming off a huge win on their Senior Day game against Buffalo State. This win consisted of six unanswered goals, a score by Buffalo State, then three more by the Lakers, culminating in a massive 9-1 victory. The Lakers will hope to capitalize on this momentum with a huge win over SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragons are coming off a four-game winning streak however, so both teams will ride off huge momentum heading into the playoffs.

The Lakers will face the Red Dragons on Feb. 25 in Alumni Arena in Cortland. The puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m.  

Photo via: Oswego Athletics