Following a three-point performance from freshman Travis Broughman, the Oswego State men’s ice hockey team came away with its first regular season and conference win against SUNY Cortland Friday night with a score of 4-2.

Head coach Ed Gosek’s mindset of “scoring by committee” was prominent in the game, as nine Lakers registered at least one point. Broughman led all scorers with three points and Carter Allen added two assists.

“If you’re relying on one line, I think that’s a concern since teams will put their best defensemen against them and shut them down,” Gosek said. “Being able to roll four lines and we can generate offense, I think that’s a benefit for the long haul of the season.”

While Gosek said there were a lot of positives in this game compared to the last game against Carleton Place, such as coming out with momentum and playing with the lead, there were some other spots he said the team needs to work on, especially while having the lead. One of the key components was discipline late in the game.

“Managing emotions, keeping your focus, learning to play smart with the lead,” Gosek said. “I can’t say there weren’t a lot of undisciplined plays there, but there were enough where between last Saturday night at the end and tonight when you’re in control, you have to do a better job.”

Oswego State committed five penalties throughout the game, four of which put the team at a one-man disadvantage. Two of those times, SUNY Cortland was able to cut the Lakers’ lead. The first time, 4-1, and then the second, 4-2. Gosek said the four man-disadvantages were within the team’s goal of how many penalties it took.

Allen had an interference call to put the Lakers at a 4-on-3 disadvantage, and Emerson had a cross-checking call to put Oswego State at 5-on-4. The goal from the 4-on-3 power play for the Red Dragons, scored by Mike Crowley, came from a cross-ice feed from Justin Schebel. While David Richer almost got his glove to it, Gosek said to expect a save from him in that situation is “too much.”

“It’s not a system as much as it is individual responsibility and accountability to make sure you got the puck on your stick and not under pressure, the puck’s got to go the length of the ice,” Gosek said. “For whatever reason tonight, we struggled with that.”

On the opposite side of the special team’s units, Oswego State went 2-5, with power-play goals from Broughman, his second of the night, and Derek Brown. Gosek said the team was able to cycle the puck well and be offensive even if the opportunity was not “picture perfect.”

“We looked to attack, and in the last two games, we didn’t. I thought we were much more aggressive taking pucks to the net and into the paint,” Gosek said. “Pucks just didn’t fall. I thought we earned them other ways. So that’s a positive. We’ll keep working at it.”

The coaching staff had to scratch 12 players in the game due to NCAA regulations. The Lakers dressed three goaltenders, six defensemen and 13 forwards. Despite this being a regular season game, the evaluation of the team will not come until next Saturday after the game against Hobart College, Gosek said.

“We’ll have a good practice tomorrow and then hopefully it’ll be game-like with the conditioning,” Gosek said. “We’ve got a lot of areas to improve on. We’re one game into the season. Individual skills, it’s a work-in-progress throughout the course of the year.”

To open up the game, Broughman scored 1:18 into the game, after SUNY Cortland’s goaltender Nick Modica stopped most of the shot with his glove, but not enough of it after it bounced off the glove into the back of the net. Broughman also added an assist on a breakaway Tanner Spink goal at 15:28 of the first period and Oswego State took a 2-0 lead.

Broughman would also start the scoring of the second period 11:47 in on the power play after a Louis DiMatteo cross-checking minor penalty.

“I thought he was very consistent start to finish. He played as a power forward. It’s nice to see him rewarded,” Gosek said. “Anytime you, as a rookie, can have an impact like that in any game, that’s an accomplishment and we’re proud of him.”

The Lakers added two more goals, Broughman’s second of the night, and Brown added a power play goal at 6:59. The final two goals of the game would both be scored by SUNY Cortland and on the power play. One goal came after a controversial call on Travis Broughman.

Broughman, after the whistle, was punched in the mask DiMatteo. Both players, at 10:41 of the third period, were given roughing calls to send the game to 4-on-4. The Allen penalty sent the game to 4-on-3 allowed Crowley to cut the Lakers’ lead to three. Gosek, who was visibly not happy with the call during the game, felt it was not an equal call.

“A guy’s standing there with his hands on his side and he gets bopped on the head. I’ll watch it, maybe that’s not what occurred, maybe there was more to it,” Gosek said. “For a guy to take a solid punch to the head, I’m sorry, that’s not an even up 4-on-4.”

Alex Storjohann scored the final goal of the game at 14:06 to leave the final score of the game at 4-2. At the end of the game, due to Oswego State offensive pressure, the Red Dragons never got the opportunity to pull Modica for the extra attacker.

Now, Oswego State (1-0-0, 1-0-0 SUNYAC) will have a week to practice before its first back-to-back game weekend. The Lakers take on SUNY Canton (1-2-0, N/A) Nov. 9 and then face No. 5 Hobart College (3-0-0, 1-0-0 NEHC) on Nov. 10.

“We have a lot of areas we need to clean up. They’re both teams that play hard, in your face. Our discipline will need to be there,” Gosek said. “We need to have a good work week to be prepared. It’ll be our first weekend with back-to-back games. It’ll be quite an adjustment for us.”

Photo: Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian