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OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Lakers' fifth-ranked men's ice hockey team will host its 11th annual PathFinder Bank/Oswego State Hockey Classic on Friday and Saturday. This year's field includes No. 4 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Utica College and Curry College.
Oswego State enters its PathFinder Hockey Classic with a No. 5 ranking in the latest USCHO poll behind a 10-3-0 overall record. While the record is good for a top-5 spot, Oswego looks to hop back into the win column amidst a three-game skid. It will face No. 4 UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m. on the first day of the tournament. The contest is a rematch of the 2013 national title game, a 5-3 victory for the Blugolds.
The PathFinder Bank/Oswego State Hockey Classic started during the 2006-07 season and the Lakers have captured six of the possible 10 titles. Oswego claimed three-straight titles from the 2012-13 season through the 2014-15 season but fell to Adrian College in last year's championship duel.
Oswego's top-six point scorers are all part of the senior class. Led by
Shawn Hulshof's 19 points, classmates
Alex Botten (18),
Matt Galati (16),
Kenny Neil (15) and
Stephen Johnson (14) are close behind. Also in double-figures for points is junior
Mitchell Herlihey (11). No Laker has reached double-digit goals yet this year, with Neil posting a team-high nine tallies. That is not for a lack of scoring, as the squad averages 4.4 goals per game as 15 different Lakers have found the back of the net this year.
The Curry College Colonels enter the PathFinder Bank/Oswego State Hockey Classic with a 7-3-1 overall record. A member of The Commonwealth Coast Conference, Curry is averaging 4.27 goals per game and have accumulated 137 points in 11 games. Curry is led on offense by a pair of seniors, Tyler Vankleef and Jake Heisinger. Vankleef plays the role of scorer, as he is the only Colonel with double-digits in the goal column. His 11 goals combined with five assists gives Vankleef a team-best 16 points. Just one point back is Heisinger, but his 15 points come in reverse fashion. Heisinger leads the Colonels with 12 assists while contributing three tallies.
This is the first year of men's ice hockey in The Commonwealth Coast Conference. Prior to the 2016-17 season, Curry participated in the now defunct ECAC Northeast Conference. The Colonels are led by a familiar face, former Laker men's ice hockey player and 2006 Oswego graduate T.J. Manastersky. Manastersky appeared in 37 games for Oswego between 2004 and 2006, recording seven points coming all on helpers.
Utica College – who will host the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship – brings a 9-4-0 overall record into the PathFinder Bank/Oswego State Hockey Classic. The Pioneers compete in the ECAC West Conference, where they have yet to lose to a league-foe, going a perfect 6-0-0 in the first semester. Junior Roman Ammirato leads the Pioneers in all three major offensive statistical categories. The Union College transfer has 11 assists and 9 goals for 20 points, all team-highs. Four more Pioneers have double-figure points: Kevin Valenti (15), Mikhail Bushinski (12), Vince Stefan (10) and Connor Schmidt (10).
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire comes to the PathFinder Bank/Oswego State Hockey Classic with just one loss on its record, boasting a 10-1-3 mark. Its only loss of the year came at currently-12th ranked Augsburg in just the fourth contest of the season. UW-Eau Claire has eight players in double-figures for points, led by senior Patrick Moore's 23. Moore also has the most assists for the Blugolds, dishing out 15 helpers. Of the eight players with double-figure points, six are part of the junior class. Mac Jansen heads that group, and the Blugolds, with a team-high 10 goals to go along with seven assists.
