The Lakers took home two SUNYAC victories this weekend in games against their rival, Plattsburgh State, and SUNY Potsdam.

The action-packed weekend began with an away game at Potsdam. 

The middle of the first period brought a goal from Lakers’ senior forward Tyler Flack at 10:33, just a few minutes after his exit from the penalty box. The Bears made several attempts to even the score before the end of the period, but it ended at 1-0 for Oswego.

The second period opened with another goal for the Lakers at less than a minute in. Halfway through the period, defenseman Quinn Warmuth added yet another goal to the scorecard, assisted by Connor Sleeth and Brock Krulicki. Potsdam attempted two more shots after the Lakers’ third goal, but were unable to follow through on any of them.

The third period began with several unsuccessful shots from the Lakers, with two from Potsdam as well. At 10:11, one of Oswego’s several shots was successful, this one from sophomore Connor Gatto. This was Gatto’s first goal for the season.

The team did not let up after this shot connected; the puck again found the net at 13:55 from Shane Bull. This was Oswego’s first goal of the game scored on a power play, with the Bears’ Andrew Gubin in the box with a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking and a ten-minute game misconduct. Just over two minutes later, Bull brought the score to 6-0 with another goal on a power play. Potsdam attempted two more shots before the end of the game, but both were saved by goalie Cal Schell, leaving him with a clean slate for the game. This victory added a fifth win to Oswego’s SUNYAC record, and a fifth loss to Potsdam’s. The Bears have yet to win a SUNYAC game.

The next day brought a tense game at Plattsburgh State, the Lakers’ longtime rival. In anticipation of the White Out game in the Deb next semester, Oswego got a chance to test the waters with Plattsburgh for the first time this season.

The puck changed hands repeatedly until a shot from Shane Bull found the net at 12:19 on a power play. Though Plattsburgh had a power play toward the end of the period, they were unable to even the score, ending the period at 1-0 for the Lakers.

The second period brought plenty of action, with a total of five goals from both teams. The Lakers’ Krulicki snagged the first goal barely a minute into the period, but it was followed shortly afterward by a goal from the Cardinals on a power play. Neither team connected another shot until 12:31 when Oswego brought the score to 3-1 with a goal from Daniel Colabufo. Two more goals followed, one at 18:24 for Plattsburgh, but Oswego’s offense responded with another goal less than twenty seconds later, ending the period ahead at 4-2.

Once the third period again, the Cardinals inched closer to evening the score on a power play, with a goal at 3:10 from Bennett Stockdale, bringing the total to 4-3. The Cardinals pushed their offense to even the score, with a total of 21 shots before the end of the period, and pulled their goalie within the final minute of the game. But the Lakers’ Thomas Rocco scored the final goal of the game on an empty net, bringing the score to 5-3.

Plattsburgh had been undefeated prior to the game against the Lakers, both in general play and in the SUNYAC conference. Oswego’s victory could be a good sign for them leading into the White Out game and senior night, scheduled for Feb. 10.

Photo: Oswego Athletics