Students lined the halls for hours before the men’s ice hockey team took to the ice on Feb. 10  against their rival the Plattsburgh State Cardinals. During warm-ups, emotions were already running high, the student section packed and decked out in white, showing their Laker pride. 

The Cardinals won the first period face-off at center ice. A flurry of dropped sticks and collisions broke out as both teams fought for the offensive. However, this did not hinder the home team as they continued to advance towards the rival goal, boasting tight offensive lines and clean passes, building hopes for a quick goal. Tyler Flack took a shot, but it was ultimately blocked. The Lakers did not let this stop them as they continued to shoot and struggle to maintain the puck. The Cardinals started to gain control of the puck and charged the Oswego State goal. Moments later, the student section was quiet as the Cardinals scored the first goal of the game. The Lakers responded quickly as the first period ended with two back-to-back goals by Drake Semrad and Flack, putting the Lakers up 2-1. 

The second period saw static action with a lot of back and forth between sides. Eventually Oswego ended up on the defensive with goalie Cal Schell making several saves. As the clock ran out, the Cardinals advanced for another shot. However, Schell caught the puck mid-air. This resulted in an additional second added onto the clock, but nothing amounted from the extra time. 

The third period got off to a fast start, just as the first period had. The Cardinals won the face-off and made an A-line for the goal. Once again, Schell made an excellent save and the puck went to Oswego. The Lakers attempted to turn the tables and go down the ice, but the Cardinals took control and evened the score with another goal six minutes into the period. The Cardinals fought to maintain the offensive, but were no match for the Lakers as AJ Ryan scored the team’s third goal, assisted by Quinn Warmuth. Moments later, another goal for the home team was scored by Matt McQuaid with an assist from Tristan Francis. The game quickly took a riveting turn as the Cardinals swiped the puck and brought it down the ice, scoring as the Cardinals’ Bennet Stockdale took a tumble over Schell with just 1:55 left in the game. A timeout was called as the goal was reviewed and ultimately decided it was legal. The Cardinals maintained control of the puck for the minute left in the game, meandering around center ice as they ran down the clock until the final few seconds, when they lunged for one last goal. However, the game did not end as the clock hit zero. A fight broke out between players on both teams as the majority of the Lakers gathered to celebrate their win of 4-3. Referees hesitated to break up the fight, but once the players’ gloves came off, they knew it was time. The players were separated and lined up for the ending handshakes promptly after which the Lakers held their recognition of the seniors. 

“It was a hard-fought, physical game; You had to fight for every inch of ice.” Edward Gosek, the Lakers’ coach, said. “[For] both teams, there weren’t a lot of odd man rushes [and] there weren’t a lot of turnovers by either team. That’s what the rivalry is all about.” 

Not only did he attribute the win to the skill of the players, evidenced by their 9-0 win against the Potsdam Bears the previous night, but also the support of the fans.

“We’re appreciative to our student fans, our community, and everyone that came out to the game,” Gosek said. “We hope that they’ll continue to come for the playoffs. I thought the second goal was huge to get our fans into it and to give our guys some confidence with the way that we were playing and then the third goal, the go-ahead goal there late to get our guys going, to put them back on their heels a little bit, and then answer back with a fourth one.” 

Gosek captured the confidence of the team and the atmosphere that contributed to the players’ morale. Despite having an excellent record this season, he claimed that the skill of the players and the overall atmosphere is what did it for the team.

 “There’s a reason it’s Whiteout Weekend,” Gosek said. “It really wouldn’t matter what either of our records are. Both teams play extremely hard.”

The Lakers’ next game is Feb. 16. against SUNY Cortland at the Alumni Arena.

    Photo by: Vanessa Choquette