After making its first back-to-back appearances at the NCAA Division III Frozen Four in program history, it is safe to say the standard of excellence for the Oswego State men's ice hockey program continues to climb.  This season is no exception, as the 2011-12 Laker squad is driven to not only return to the NCAA Tournament, but to reclaim the SUNYAC title.

Head coach Ed Gosek and the Lakers are coming off a season where they posted an overall record of 23-5-0 and a conference record of 15-1-0, but came up short of defending their 2010 league title en route to playing in the Frozen Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  If Oswego State expects to exceed last year's achievements, it will have to replace critical parts of its lineup, including defensemen Kevin Huinink and Stephen Mallaro and forwards Dan Bremner, Justin Fox, Joe Hall, Owen Kelly, and Chris Laganiere.

Senior captain Andrew Mather, senior assistant captains Jared Anderson and Ian Boots and junior assistant captain Jon Whitelaw have been charged with leading a veteran group comprised of 20 juniors and seniors back to Lake Placid for the NCAA Championships.

Mather, Boots, and Whitelaw command a forward unit that returns five of its six top scorers from last season despite the loss of five players.  Mather had a breakout season a year ago with 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists), including a two-goal, one-assist performance in the national semifinal game, and proved to be effective on the penalty kill unit.  Boots flourished in his first year as a Laker after pacing the team in every offensive category, including points (40), goals (15) and assists (25).  He was later named Second-Team East All-America and First-Team All-SUNYAC for his efforts.  Whitelaw picked up right where he left off as a freshman with a 30-point campaign with 12 goals and 18 assists, and again will be asked to be a key component of the Oswego State power play along with Boots.

Juniors Luke Moodie and Paul Rodrigues showed no evidence of slowing down last season, as Moodie tallied 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) and Rodrigues registered 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists).  Both will likely join Boots and Whitelaw as the primary weapons since they saw ample time when the Lakers had an extra attacker.  Classmate Tyler Leimbrock returns for another season as an offensive option, but also as an experienced penalty killer with Mather.  Sophomore David Titanic emerged during the post-season with pivotal points in the NCAA quarterfinal and semifinal games.  Additional returners that will be asked to provide critical roles and show the newcomers how to play Laker ice hockey include Chris Ayotte, Kyle Badham, Chris Brown, Corey Domenico, Chris Muise and Matt Singleton.

Anderson leads an experienced defensive corps that has seen a great deal of playing time and is 100 percent healthy at the start of the season.  Anderson proved he had recovered from a previous injury in 2010-11 by appearing 21 games.  Classmate Hank Van Boxmeer returns to the lineup after posting 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in just 18 games last year, and will be called upon to pick up some of the offensive slack left due to the graduation of Mallaro.  

Five veteran junior defensemen also sit in the cupboard for Coach Gosek to choose from every night.  Tim Carr was one of the Lakers' most improved players, appearing in 27 games, while Jesse McConney, Taylor Farris and Michael Gilchrist know what it takes to battle in front of the net and corners with the physical SUNYAC forwards.  Joining them this year is Zack Josepher, a Division I transfer from Michigan State.  Josepher returns to his home state after posting the top plus/minus rating for Spartan defensemen during his freshman season.

For the first time in two seasons, Oswego State knows what to expect in goal.  Senior Paul Beckwith showed the Laker faithful he was ready to be an everyday goaltender as he set a conference record for wins in a season with 15 before posting an overall record of 19-3-0.  He paced the league in nearly every statistical category, but was selected Second-Team All-SUNYAC before being named First-Team East All-America.  However, Oswego State also knows it has capable goaltenders that will push Beckwith to stay on top of his game as Daniel Jones and Andrew Hare have experience.  Jones went 3-1-0 last year with a .944 save percentage and a shutout, while Hare was 1-1-0 with a shutout after transferring at mid-season from Division I Niagara University.

Coach Gosek and his staff brought in several skilled players at both ends of the rink during the off-season with one easily recognizable feature: size.  Four of the seven rookies are over six feet tall and the group averages 190 pounds to help compliment the speed at the top of the lineup.  On defense, Bobby Gertsakis and Nick Rivait will battle for a spot on the line chart with the other returners.  Gertsakis is a smart puck-moving defenseman who will help the transition game out of the defensive end compared to Rivait, who provides a physical presence in front of the net.

At the forward spot, RJay Berra, Chris Carr, Eli Kim-Swallow, Peter Rodrigues and Stan Smrke join the ranks.  Berra put up 83 points (42 goals, 41 assists) in 61 games in the British Columbia Hockey League, while Carr joins older brother, Tim, after putting up 22 goals and 50 assists in 49 games for the Burlington Cougars.  Eli Kim-Swallow follows in his father Wayne's footsteps wearing a Laker jersey, and will provide a lot of energy through his speed.  Peter Rodrigues is a Division I-caliber player who suffered a season-ending injury 18 games into the year last season, but not before tallying 18 goals and 11 assists.  Stan Smrke, the tallest player on the team at 6-6, skates extremely well and knows how to step up his level of play in the post-season.

No matter who is on the ice, fans can expect a competitive team that will make 2011-12 another season to remember.

2011-12 Roster
2011-12 Schedule
2010-11 Statistics