It was an exciting weekend for the women’s ice hockey team, debuting the throwback Laker Wave jerseys for the first time in team history, on top of taking on the Castleton Spartans in back-to-back home games to start their regular season.

The first game was a tense disappointment, with the Lakers losing 0-3 in a poorly played game. Although they were ready to play, the Lakers were too slow to truly compete against the Spartans. Oswego took the opening face off and drove the offense, but messy passes and holes in plays made it all too easy for Castleton to steal the puck. In an eerily similar fashion to a goal made at the previous game between the Lakers and Nazareth, Castleton’s #14, Angie Palmer, chipped the puck just over Lakers goalie Mia DeVivo’s shoulder.

Oswego attempted to take revenge with several shots to Castleton’s Gianna McCusker’s pads. Both teams came close to scoring through the rest of the period, but neither were able to see the back of the net.

The second period began with the Lakers out for blood. Despite this, the team’s maneuvers were an easy defeat. A standout of the period was sophomore Solana Zizzo, who not only took a tumble through the ref’s door and rebounded without a moment to spare, but ruthlessly fought for the puck and brought Oswego back to the offensive. With five minutes left in the period after back and forth, #10, Moa Carlsson, chipped the puck in, once again above the shoulder of Devivo.

The period ended with a four-on-four after Spartan Ellie Schliebener was put in the penalty box for hooking and Oswego’s Sydney Pinti in for roughing. While on an even match, the Lakers were able to fend the Spartans off, but that same ability faltered going into the third period.

Oswego returned to the ice with 23 seconds still on the clock for Pinti’s penalty, but took the opening face off and began driving the offensive. Pinti’s penalty set the tone for the unruly period, with Oswego receiving three separate penalties, while Castleton only received one–although the amount of dirty hits got them closer. Elizabeth Cooley, #16 for the Lakers, led the team in shots in the game’s final period, circling the Spartan net like a hawk, striking frequently.

After several good shots on rebounds, Castleton took back the puck. Oswego pulled their goalie later on, leaving the net wide open for the Spartans, especially with faltering defense. The fate of the Lakers was sealed when a final goal was scored, making the unranked Spartans the winner of the two team’s first matchup of the weekend with a final score of 3-0.

The next day, Oswego came back with fire in their eyes. McCusker was back in the net for the Spartans, while DeVivo returned for the Lakers. Once again, the tone was set by Castleton with a goal made by Rainey Lay just under the halfway mark of the first period. The Lakers maintained a solid back-and-forth for the remainder of the period, but were unable to secure a goal.

The second period saw the Lakers on the power play early on, but they were unable to make anything of it. The home team maintained a solid offensive throughout the period, with Jenna Majewski giving McCusker a run for her money with a quick goal after a brutal battle in front of the goalcrease. Following Majewski’s goal, both teams fought to take the lead, but failed, leaving the score at 1-1 for the remaining time.

Despite the ensuing close calls for both DeVivo and McCusker, neither team scored until about six minutes into the tense third period when Lakers freshman Natalie Loncz found the back of the net. The Spartans evened out the score as the period came to an end, setting both teams on edge. In what became a vicious fight from both sides, the Lakers were able to take the lead with just 30 seconds left on the clock. Freshman Georgia Cunliffe secured the win with a clean shot behind McCusker in a shocking end of the game.

The younger Lakers proved their potential last weekend, but also showed they are still breaking in their sea legs. While some may call the Friday night loss a fluke, the close following game shows that it was anything but that. If anything, the win was sheer luck. Although the team is full of potential, the team of mostly freshmen still needs to cut their teeth on cleaner plays and stronger defense. Going out for blood and amassing significant penalty minutes is not what builds a strong team–especially one that was so close to a conference win last season.

As the season goes on, the key to returning to their glory lies in good, clean hockey.