OSWEGO — Time’s ticking for the Oswego State men’s hockey team.
There are just six games left in the regular season, and anywhere from 10-12 practices left depending on what the Lakers’ coaching staff deems fit.
Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek called this time of year tough — especially since all the players are “getting back in the swing of things” after classes started for the spring semester on Monday, and the team is returning to an earlier practice slot.
Since coming back the day after Christmas from an abbreviated winter break, the Lakers have had to worry about just practice along with six games spread throughout the course of five weeks.
With the way the schedule lines up, Gosek said the players’ focus should be “clear cut” with a one-game weekend, with Oswego State hosting SUNY Cortland (11-7-1, 6-4-0 SUNYAC) on Friday.
The Red Dragons are coming off a split weekend, winning 7-3 at SUNY Potsdam on Friday before falling 2-1 at Plattsburgh on Saturday.
“You’ve got one game. Focus on it,” Gosek said. “This time of year, with the weather, school and pressure at the end of the season — it’s all about adversity.”
Oswego State enters the contest against Cortland still atop the SUNYAC standings, boasting an 8-2-0 (12-6-1 overall) conference record, with 16 points. However, the buffer the Lakers had built during the first semester has dwindled, and Plattsburgh State and SUNY Geneseo are tied for second place with 15 points each.
Since there are only conference games left, every game remaining is a rematch between league foes. And now, teams are “working harder, clamping down defensively,” Gosek mentioned.
“It’s not like the beginning of the year or when you play them the first time,” he said. “At this time of year, we have a better idea of who we are, and we have a better idea of who Cortland is and how they play and what they do.”
Cortland hosted the Lakers on Nov. 11, resulting in a narrow 5-4 win for Oswego State. The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period before the Lakers had a four-goal second period, ultimately holding a 5-2 advantage going into the final frame.
Cortland scored twice in the third period, and pulled it into a one-goal game with 28 seconds remaining, but the Red Dragons couldn’t find the equalizer.
Tommy Cahill had a three-point night for the Lakers (2 goals, 1 assist), while Alex DiCarlo posted a goal and an assist. Jackson Arcan and Thomas Rocco also scored for Oswego State. Cal Schell made 23 saves.
Sutter Donegan, Nate Berke, Domenic Settimo and Cameron Knowlton all had one-goal, one-assist nights. Luca Durante and Jack Riedell split time in net, both making 19 .
Going into the second round against Cortland, Gosek said there’s been a lot of mixing things up in terms of lines.
“I don’t know if finding ‘perfect’ (lines) is the right word. We’re not trying to play head games with them. We’re trying to get some juice going here,” Gosek said. “If we’re getting a lot of grade-A (opportunities) and pucks aren’t falling, then we’re OK. We’ll stick with it. … It’s not like we’re getting a ton of grade-A’s.”
Similar to Cortland, Oswego State is also coming off a split weekend in the North Country. It was the third time that the Lakers played Potsdam and Plattsburgh this season — and the second time in three weeks up north.
Plattsburgh won 6-1 on Friday, but the Lakers came out on top 4-3 after a fluke goal from Connor Sleeth that got under the stick of Potsdam goaltender Stephen Friedland.
Matt McQuade (assisted by Quinn Warmuth and DiCarlo) scored on Friday. Warmuth (Daniel Colabufo and Shane Bull), Arcan (Noah Bull and Ryan Bunka), Gatto (DiCarlo and Cahill) and Sleeth (Warmuth) scored for the Lakers on Saturday.
Schell played 43 minutes on Friday, allowing four goals and making 30 saves, before being pulled for an injury. Richie Parent played the remaining time, allowing two goals on 10 shots. Parent played the entire contest against Potsdam, making 21 saves on 24 shots.
Given that it was the third time this season, Gosek said the team “knew it was going to be a challenge” up north.
“(Plattsburgh) played with an edge. … That happens. The next night, I thought we were much better — and we were much better,” Gosek said. “I thought we played well and we were in control of the game, but the scoreboard didn’t show it.”
After the game-winning goal on Saturday, Gosek said “when you play the game the right way … you’ll get those breaks.”
“Not that that wasn’t a fluke. But if you do the right things over a long period of time in a game, you’re usually rewarded — the same way Plattsburgh was rewarded on Friday night for their relentless work ethic, sticking to their game plan and winning those battles,” Gosek said. “They were rewarded. You can say it’s puck luck, but I’ve always believed that you make your puck luck by working hard and good karma and doing the right things throughout the game.”
As time dwindles down on the regular season and the Lakers are still fighting to hold onto first place in the SUNYAC, one thing is clear for Gosek, however: after Saturday, Oswego State made “a step in the right direction.”
“We got two points (this past weekend). We’ll get back here, have a good week of practice, regroup and be ready for Cortland which will be another good test,” Gosek said. “We want to continue to build. … I’d agree that the game this past Saturday was a grind. This time of year, you have to grind games out.”
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