The Oswego State hockey team rallied from a three-goal deficit in the first period and defeated Plattsburgh 7-6 in front of a packed Romney Field House. The Lakers, ranked fifth in the nation, maintained their hold on the SUNYAC lead. Oswego State is now 16-4-2 overall and 8-2-1 in the SUNYAC. Plattsburgh fell to 12-9-1 overall and 6-5-0 in the conference.
The Cardinals scored the first three goals of the game to quiet a boisterous crowd. Kevin Galan, Nick Rolls, and Riley Hill tallied in a span of 3:25 to give Plattsburgh control.
Oswego State fought back with a goal by Rick Varone with 3:16 remaining. Fans littered the ice with bagels, as is the tradition following the first Laker goal against the rival Cardinals.
Laker freshman Ryan Ellis scored in the opening minute of the second period to bring the Lakers back to within one, but Hill tallied his second of the game for Plattsburgh to make the score 4-2.
Kyle McCutcheon and Jocelyn Dubord scored back-to-back goals for the Lakers to tie the game at 4-4. Before the second period was over, Rolls and Oswego State's C.J. Thompson traded goals to make the score 5-5 heading into the third period.
Laker junior Ryan Woodward, the nation's leading scorer, scored his 21st goal of the season 1:22 into the third period to put the Lakers in front for the first time in the game. Junior Ryan Koresky then scored his first of the season with 8:29 remaining to give the Lakers a two-goal cushion.
That cushion was needed as Plattsburgh came back with a power-play goal by Deryk Whitehead with 4:09 remaining. The Cardinals pulled goaltender Craig Neilson late in the contest, but could not get the equalizer. Neilson finished with 32 saves and Oswego State's Ryan Scott had 20 saves.
A crowd of 2,240 witnessed the high-scoring affair. Thompson had four points on the night with a goal and three assists. Woodward, Ellis, and Koresky all had one goal and two assists.
The Lakers host Potsdam on Saturday at 7 p.m. It is the last regular-season home game scheduled for Romney Field House, the home of Oswego State hockey since 1966.
