The Oswego State women’s hockey team faced off on home ice once again with the SUNY Canton Kangaroos following their 3-1 win the previous night. On Feb. 10, posters of seniors were hung onto the glass to kick off Senior Night and Whiteout games. 

The first period launched into a quick start with Canton winning the face-off and playing offense for mere minutes before the Lakers took control and Simone Bednardik scored the first goal of the game, but also the last for the Lakers. The period saw a lot of struggles following the goal, with clusters of players pinned against walls in pursuit of the puck. This continued until halfway into the period when Erica Parenti took control of the puck and charged the Canton goal. She passed to Ashlyn McGrath who went for a shot but was ultimately blocked by the goalie of the Kangaroos. After this, the Kangaroos remained in control of the puck, regaining the offense as they took the game to the home side. The Lakers put up a tough fight, energy still high. However, the first period came to an anticlimactic end with only more back and forth between the teams. 

The second period saw goalie Rachel Brase taken off the ice and replaced with her counterpart, Lexi Levy. The period got off to a rocky start for Oswego State with many collisions, slips, and falls as players raced toward the puck. Despite losing the opening face-off, the Kangaroos swooped in and swiped the puck, successfully making it down the ice in just under a minute of the clocking beginning. Lexi Levy made an impressive save, plucking the puck out of the air as it sailed towards the Lakers’ goal. The Kangaroos continued to make rapid-fire shots at the home goal, keeping Levy on her toes. Ten minutes in, Desiree Snook of the Kangaroos snuck past the attentive goalie following a hard collision with a teammate as well as Lakers Rheya Zemlak and Leah Coley. The incident landed the Kangaroos with a penalty for high-sticking. The further into the period, the more visibly upset the Lakers became. Their faces filled with frustration and disgust as their opponent took the lead after scoring yet another goal. Bednardik was one of the few players on the ice who had not seemingly let her disappointment get to her. Bednardik fought hard to bring the Lakers back onto the offensive. She was nearly successful until a line change allowed Canton the opportunity to reclaim control of the puck. The remainder of the period was spent at center ice, both teams losing steam as they struggled. 

The second period ended glumly for the Lakers but that did not stop student attendees from showing their support with loud cheers. Tensions were running high once both teams returned to the ice. A minute in, a scuffle between McGrath and Makayla Young of the Kangaroos earned Young a two-minute penalty for checking. The Lakers fought hard to even the score but were unsuccessful. Chaos erupted as a pile-up formed in the Canton goal as Bednardik lunged to make another shot. This happened again just a few minutes later, landing a roughing penalty for Erika Parenti. There was some more back and forth between the teams that ultimately resulted in the Lakers maintaining control as the clock ran out. 

Although the game ended in a loss for the home team, spirits were lifted during senior recognition. A montage of the three seniors on the team (Kensie Malone, Megan Buxton, and Brase) played, depicting each individually throughout their lives. After being gifted with flowers from three young girls wearing their numbers, the seniors were greeted by their families on the ice, where they gathered for photos. The rest of the team then embraced Malone, Buxton, and Brase as a flurry of post-game disappointment and sentimentality brought them to tears, bringing the loss to a warm end for the women’s hockey team. 

The Lakers will finish their regular season traveling to face the Buffalo State Bengals on Feb. 16.

Photo via: Vanessa Choquette