Lake(r) Placid Bound: Oswego State pounds Bowdoin

    Playing his final game as a Laker in the Campus Center Ice Arena, senior forward and assistant captain Neil Musselwhite scored four goals and added an assist, as the second-ranked Oswego State men's ice hockey team defeated sixth-ranked Bowdoin College, 9-2, Saturday night in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament.

    With the win, the Lakers punch their ticket to Lake Placid for the Division III Frozen Four where they will play third-ranked St. Norbert on Friday, March 19. St. Norbert defeated Gustavus Adolphus, 3-1, to advance to Lake Placid.

    "It feels good," head coach Ed Gosek said about the victory. "I'm proud of them. Throughout the course of the season (like any team) you have your ups and downs and adversity. But those tough games against Plattsburgh, Elmira, Adrian and Morrisville help you along the way to prepare you for situations like ton

    Despite traveling roughly 470 miles from Brunswick, Maine, to Oswego, N.Y., Bowdoin (19-7-1 overall) struck first, as senior defenseman Mike Corbelle capitalized on a 5-on-3 advantage. Following charging penalties to both freshman forward Matt SIngleton and sophomore forward Andrew Mather, Corbelle blasted a slap shot from just inside the blue line that beat Laker goalie Kyle Gunn-Taylor over his glove side shoulder.

    Musselwhite answered Corbelle's goal just over two minutes later with a 4-on-4 goal at 8:34 of the first period. Taking a pass from senior defenseman and captain Tyler Lyon, Musselwhite rushed the net and put the puck past Bowdoin starting goalie Chris Rossi.

    "Getting the goal back before the end of the period ended was big for the team and got our spirits back into it," Musselwhite said.

    Overshadowed by Musselwhite's five point performance was sophomore defenseman Hank Van Boxmeer, who tallied two goals and two assists for a four point night. Van Boxmeer registered what would be the game-winning goal at 14:38 of the first period with a slap shot from the blue line that beat Rossi (15 saves) stick side.

    Entering the game, Van Boxmeer had scored just once over the course of 15 games this season. His second goal of the game came on the power play, the same way he scored his first. Van Boxmeer's slap shot from the blue line got behind Rossi's stick side for a two goal lead early in the second period.

    "Obviously it feels great to produce big goals and in a game like this it's what everyone dreams of," Van Boxmeer said. "It was a lot of luck, being in the right place at the right time and guys doing their jobs."

    Penalties limited the Laker offense in the first period, committing a total 12 penalty minutes on six infractions. The second period was a different story, as the Lakers (26-2-0 overall) did not commit a single penalty while the Polar Bears committed four. In the second period, Oswego State outshot Bowdoin 16-4 and capitalized on three of its four power play opportunities. Van Boxmeer, Musselwhite and junior forward Justin Fox each had a power-play goal in the second period, as the Lakers put five goals on the board to end Rossi's night in net.

    "They came as advertised," Bowdoin head coach Terry Meagher said of the Lakers. "That's a pretty talented group. What happened tonight was our biggest fear. I've been doing this along time and I've seen a lot of good teams but I've never seen an as dynamic, as gifted or as oppotunistic a play of forwards in this league or at this level."

    Bowdoin back-up goalie Richard Nerland replaced Rossi following senior forward and assistant captain Brad Dormiedy's goal to put the Lakers ahead by four. Entering the game, Rossi had lost just once in 16 starts this season. Nerland was unable to slow down the Laker offense, allowing four goals on 11 shots.

    "In the second period they kind of wore us down," Bowdoin captain Colin MacCormack said. "They're a big, strong, physical team and they cashed in on everything we gave them. It was pretty impressive to watch."

    Gunn-Taylor recorded 21 saves on 23 shots and also tallied his first collegiate point with an assist on Musselwhite's second goal of the game. Coming over from Buffalo State midway through the season last year, Gunn-Taylor started in front of an ill Paul Beckwith on Friday, Nov. 6 and proved that he was capable of being the team's starting goalie. With the win, Gunn-Taylor improved to 18-1-0 in net this season.

    "I'm not going to lie, it feels great," Gunn-Taylor said. "It's crazy how different a year can make. Last year I didn't really get an opportunity but I just kept my head down, kept working hard and it feels good."

    The NCAA quarterfinal game was the last game to be played at the Campus Center Ice Arena this season. The Lakers finished with an unblemished record at 17-0-0. It was the first time the Lakers finished unbeaten at home in over 12 years. The win improves the Lakers to 2-0 when hosting an NCAA tournament game.

-Mike Kraft