Familiar Feel
Think back to a few weekends ago.
Oswego State ran all over the College at Brockport Golden Eagles, winning the first game of the weekend by a 9-goal margin on Jan. 20.
The next night, Oswego State was in Geneseo take on the Ice Knights.
The start was sloppy, the defense broke down in front of David Jacobson and that got him pulled after the first period.
If you think about it, this weekend has a very familiar feel to it. A weak opponent on Friday, followed by a team that will give you all you can handle on Saturday.
To start, the Lakers first need to make sure they have control of this game. But one of the more important keys to this game is to make sure no bad habits or injuries occur before the Whiteout game tomorrow night against SUNY Plattsburgh.
The slow start in Geneseo could be attributed to the blowout from the night prior. This weekend, though, Oswego State needs to make sure no lapses happen in the most anticipated game of the season on Saturday. Earning two points and sweeping the season series against the Cardinals is the larger goal this weekend.
First and Worst
Oswego State is 18 points ahead of SUNY Potsdam in the SUNYAC standings. This is a battle of two teams on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. It should be an easy Friday night for the Lakers, but these two points are just as important as the two on the line Saturday.
The Bears are physical and try to grind teams down, but lack any pure scorers outside of Dylan Vander Esch (15-6-21). SUNY Potsdam is yet to win a game on the road all season in conference play and have not been victorious in the SUNYAC when trailing after the first period.
Lineup Card
There are not too many line changes tonight from the coaching staff, which is not usually the norm. Matt Galati will return to the lineup after missing one game due to injury and will play alongside Joey Davies and Shawn Hulshof.
Josh Zizek, Aaron Huffnalge and Devin Campbell will sit tonight. Jody Sullivan and Sean Federow will draw in, as well as Galati.
Matt Zawadzki will get his 11th start of the season tonight. He was able to shutout the Bears 6-0 earlier this season to become the new leader in all-time shutouts in program history.
Players to Watch
OSW: Joey Scorpio
Scorpio is starting to look comfortable in the lineup. This will be his fourth straight game, going back to his two-goal performance against the Golden Eagles. Scorpio’s speed and shiftiness in the offensive zone gives him great value. Tonight will be his last audition to secure a spot in the lineup tomorrow night.
POT: Bryce Ferrell
The freshman has been a bright spot on this team that has struggled to win games all season. Moving forward, Ferrell will be a staple in the top six for the Bears. He currently has 12 points this season (6-6-12) to sit third on the team in scoring.
By the Numbers
Record
OSW: 15-3-1/10-1-1 (No. 2) [1st in SUNYAC]
POT: 6-12-2/1-9-1 [9th in SUNYAC]
Shots per Game
OSW: 36.7
POT: 33.6
Shots Against per Game
OSW: 22.4
POT: 34.1
Goals per Game
OSW: 4.95 [T-1st in Div. III]
POT: 2.55 [T-59th in Div. III]
Goals Against per Game
OSW: 2.00 [T-8th in Div. III]
POT: 3.65 [T-64th in Div. III]
Power Play
OSW: 23-86 (26.74%) [6th in Div. III]
POT: 16-91 (17.58%) [45th in Div. III]
Penalty Kill
OSW: 76-89 (85.4%) [17th in Div. III]
POT: 78-97 (80.4%) [45th in Div. III]
Game Prediction
Oswego State should not have too much trouble winning this game. However, they need to be careful because teams like these can sometimes sneak up on you. Oswego State is clearly the better of the two teams, but it could come down to the Lakers simply overlooking SUNY Potsdam. A statement start could be just what the doctor ordered.
Goal scoring has rarely been an issue for the Lakers this season, sitting tied with SUNY Geneseo in goals per game in the nation. That simple fact should be enough to give the Lakers two points.
Lakers win 6-1
