OSWEGO, N.Y. – The No. 10 Oswego State men's ice hockey team outshot the Cardinals of Saint Mary's University (Minn.), 63-to-39, but dropped a 1-0 contest in their PathFinder Bank/Oswego State Hockey Classic opener. 
 
THE BASICS

• Final Score:  Saint Mary's University (Minn.) 1, Oswego 0
• Location:  Marano Campus Center Arena – Oswego, N.Y.
• Records:  Saint Mary's University (Minn.) 4-5-1 | Oswego 7-4

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Period

• The teams traded attempts over the course of the first ten minutes of the opening period.
• Oswego had a golden chance when Chris MacMillan launched a shot from the point that went off two players for a near-miss at 14:10 of the period.
• A minute later, Saint Mary's got behind the Oswego defense during a change but a great hustle play by Carson Vance led to a block of what originally looked like a clear-scoring chance.
• The visitors went on the power play with just over three minutes remaining and had one of the best opportunities of the period with a breakaway to Jack Hatton one minute into the extra-man attempt.
• Hatton held the puck, waiting for an opening, but was unable to sneak it by the right pad of senior David Richer as he patiently waited on the shot.
• It looked like the game would go into the intermission tied, but with just 17 seconds remaining in the period, the Cardinal forecheck forced a turnover at the Laker blue line and they dumped a pass deep to Tommy Stang.
• Stang skated into the middle where Richer made the initial stop from point blank, but the rebound kicked right back to Stang who sent it top shelf to put Saint Mary's up 1-0 through one period.

Second Period

• Travis Broughman had the first solid chance of the second period skating down the right side and getting behind the defense, forcing a bobbled save by the Cardinal goalie.
• Two minutes later, Richer made another brilliant stop when the Cardinals blocked a Laker shot at the point, raced down the ice and got the attempt from right in front of the Oswego crease.
• In Oswego's second power play, Tyson Kirkby shot a pass across the goalmouth where senior Josh Zizek settled it, but Al Rogers got enough of the high shot to keep the 1-0 lead for his squad.  Zizek's line would pepper the goalie with five more quality attempts over the next few minutes.
• The Lakers looked to tie it with just under six minutes left in the period as Anthony Passero swung a pass from down low in the Cardinal zone to Vance at the point, who stepped in and rang the crossbar with a wrister for Oswego's best chance of the period.
• Despite the 1-0 deficit, Oswego continued to lead in shots through two periods at 36-23.

Third Period

• The Oswego penalty-kill unit continued their strong play by fighting off a five-minute major to open the third period.
• Things got interesting late in the third as the referees had to check video after a Travis Broughman rocket appeared to have ricocheted off the Cardinal goalie and up through the top of the netting.
• With just under a minute left in the contest and Richer already pulled, senior Mitch Emerson won a race to a loose puck in front of Rogers and was hooked on the shot to give Oswego a 6-on-4 for the final minute of action.
• The Lakers spent the majority of that time in the offensive zone, but Saint Mary's blocked a pair of shots and made a save on another to take the contest.
• Richer made 21 saves in the contest while Passero (15) and Zizek (11) each hit double digits in won faceoffs.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lakers return to home ice tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. to battle No. 9 University of New England to conclude the PathFinder Bank/Oswego State Hockey Classic.