The Oswego State men’s hockey team took a 7-6 win in their second exhibition game before they kick off their regular season this weekend. 

On Oct. 21, students, along with friends and family, packed the Deborah F. Stanley Arena during Oswego’s family and friends weekend to cheer on the Lakers as they faced Alvernia University in an intense matchup. 

Even though this was a new team for the Lakers, they still showed their dominance towards Alvernia. 

Barely a minute into the matchup, senior forward Connor Sleeth found himself getting the puck right past Alvernia’s goaltender, scoring the first goal of the game. 

Alvernia did not back down, asserting the resilience right back. Nearly four minutes later, Alvernia made it onto the scoreboard, making it a tie score of 1-1 with 15 minutes left of the first period. 

The Lakers were quick to react, as junior defenseman Ben Addison scored a goal through an assist by forward Matt McQuade, making the score 2-1. 

After Addison’s goal, neither team saw themselves scoring a point for a while during the first period. 

With seven minutes counting down on the clock for the first period, senior forward AJ Ryan glided down the ice, putting the puck right into the net. 

Almost a minute later, senior forward Jackson Arcan added another point for the Lakers through an assist made by sophomore Connor Gatto. 

The first period ended with a score of 4-1 and the Lakers having nine shots total. 

Although the Lakers were in the lead, Alvernia scored the first goal of the second period, beginning to put more pressure on the Lakers. 

Not only that, both Alvernia and the Lakers showed quite the physicality, with a player from each side receiving a penalty with 12 minutes left of the second period.  

By the end of the second period, Alvernia managed a back to back goal, tying the game up to be 4-4. 

This was not the ending score for the second period though, as the Lakers’ forward Brett Fudger managed to successfully shoot the puck into the goal through an assist made by defenseman Drake Semrad, with just 10 seconds remaining on the clock. 

While ending the second period with the very last shot, the Lakers began the third and final period also scoring a goal. 

Just seconds after the first goal, senior forward and team captain Shane Bull successfully hit the puck into the net through an assist made by forward Thomas Rocco, making the score now 7-4. 

Although the Lakers were coming off a scoring streak, Alvernia bounced back, as forward Robert Pizzey was able to score them another point through an assist. 

Trying to keep up with their scoring streak, Connor Gatto went straight across the ice, making his way over to the Alvernia crease and attempting to shoot. 

Senior goalie for Alvernia Ian Graiff saved Gatto’s attempt, keeping the score at 7-5 with 12 minutes remaining of the game. 

As things ramped up for both teams, forward Gabriel Malek scored a goal for Alvernia with six minutes remaining on the clock. As it kept ticking, the Lakers still kept up their best defenses. 

The final buzzer sounded, giving the Lakers the win by one point against Alvernia. 

On Friday, Oct. 27, the Lakers will play their first regular season game and host their annual Teal game to raise awareness for Ovarian Cancer at the Deborah F. Stanley Arena at 7 p.m., against the 2023 NCAA Div.III champions Hobart College.

Photo via: Oswego Athletics