CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Oswego State men's ice hockey team has been picked to finish first in the State University of New York Athletic Conference's (SUNYAC) preseason poll. Oswego received five first-place votes and 61 overall votes from the conference coaches.
Fellow 2014 Frozen Four qualifier, Geneseo, earned 58 votes and four first place nods to finish second in the preseason rankings. Plattsburgh finished third in the poll with 46 votes while Brockport and Buffalo State tied for fourth place with 32 votes each.
The Lakers nabbed the top spot after a 2013-14 campaign that saw the squad capture its second-straight SUNYAC Championship crown. By winning the conference title, Oswego secured the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The team did not disappoint, defeating Bowdoin College at home before knocking off Babson College on the road to secure its fifth-straight appearance in the Frozen Four.
In a tight national semifinal game, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point prevailed over the Lakers 2-1. Oswego finished the year with a 10-5-1 SUNYAC mark and a 22-7-2 overall record.
The 2014-15 squad returns almost all of its players from last season, losing only two members to graduation. Oswego will start its journey for another SUNYAC championship and NCAA berth at 7 p.m. on Saturday with an exhibition game against the U.S. National Under-18 team in the Marano Campus Center Arena. The following weekend will be the start of the regular season as the Lakers travel to face Buffalo State at 7 p.m. on Friday.
2014-15 SUNYAC Men's Ice Hockey Pre-Season Poll- Oswego (61)
- Geneseo (58)
- Plattsburgh (46)
- Brockport (32)
Buffalo State (32) - Fredonia (30)
- Potsdam (20)
- Cortland (15)
- Morrisville (9)
