The Deborah F. Stanley Arena sat dormant since late February, until just this past Saturday it exploded with fiery play and energetic crowds for the first NCAA div. III Hockey games of the year. The women’s hockey team looked to start things off with a bang, with 2 preseason exhibition matches slated before the start of the regular season. The first would be against the Rome Grizzlies, a u19 pay-to-play hockey organization from the Mohawk Valley. 

To say the disparity in experience was large would be an understatement. The majority of the Lakers team consisted of veteran seniors like Mack Hull, Ashlyn McGrath and Rachel Corbett, all three of whom topped the team’s scoring totals last season. Meanwhile the Grizzlies, due to their nature as a u19 team, were much younger as a result. They were mostly composed of ‘06 and ‘07 birth year players, two of whom, Natalie Loncz and Abigail Dicks, have committed to play div. III hockey with the Oswego State Lakers starting in the 2025-26 season. Fortunately for the Lakers’ future, both sat at the top of their team’s points total coming into this matchup, with Loncz standing out with 17 points in 19 games played so far this year for the Grizzlies. 

From the moment that both teams stepped onto the ice for warmups, the difference between them was clear to see. The Grizzlies were downright diminutive compared to the full might of the Oswego State Lakers. All signs began pointing towards domination for Oswego. 

The Lakers jumped out immediately in the first period, taking over the flow of play. 32 seconds into the period we’d see our first goal of the game, as Mack Hull caught a ricocheted pass in center ice, won a 1-on- 1 with the defender and put it behind goaltender Emily Payne to put the Lakers up early. They continued to play most of their game in the Grizzlies’ end, with Rome occasionally managing to get it out of their zone. Just under 8 minutes in, Helen Vandamme would get the second goal off a neutral zone regroup, taking it around the center circle, driving the left wing and firing it home. Not a minute later did we have to wait for goal number three. Katie Demers would find twine off a breakout pass that sent her up the near boards. The fourth and final goal of the first period would come from Rachel Corbett, thanks to a centering pass from Brittany Iversen. 

The Lakers would enter the second period with 4 unanswered goals and three minutes in a fifth would be added on. Jayden Kelley would pot one off a passing play below the goal line with Corbett to put the total to five unanswered goals from the Lakers. Most of the remaining period went by with very back and forth play. The Lakers as well swapped out goalies midway through the period, Lexi Levy went to the bench and freshman goaltender Mia Devivo would take over in net for her first appearance as a Laker. But a late offensive swell from the Grizzlies would result in their only goal of the game, this one coming from a point shot from Oswego commit Natalie Loncz. 

The third period was played much the same as the other two, with the Lakers dominating play. With 7 minutes to play in regulation, Tessa Mucha put this one away off a passing play that involved almost every single Laker on the ice. Final score would be 6 to 1 in the Lakers’ favor, setting a good pace to follow for the rest of the season. 

Early Wednesday the SUNYAC released their rankings and the Lakers were put at no. 3, the same spot they ended last year, behind Plattsburgh and Cortland. 

The Lakers will finish off their preseason against the London Devilettes this weekend on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Deborah F. Stanley Arena.

Photo by: Oswego Athletics