OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Men's Hockey returned to The Deb this evening to face off against the Buffalo State Bengals in their first conference matchup of the weekend. Determined to overtake the Bengals for the top spot in the SUNYAC and continue their winning streak the Lakers came out ready to work. Despite both teams having a powerplay advantage and the Lakers battering Marcus Cumberworth with a compilation of shots, the game would remain scoreless after the first period. Oswego would put themselves on the board first with a powerplay goal about halfway through the 2nd, but the Bengals did not let up . Undeterred by their 1-goal deficit, Buffalo State would score an equalizer goal just less than 3 minutes into the third period. The score would remain deadlocked as regulation expired, sending the game into a quick overtime period decided by a five-hole goal scored by Buffalo just twenty seconds into OT.
THE BASICS
Final Score:
Oswego 1 (2-3-1, 2-1-0 SUNYAC)
Buffalo State 2 (4-1-0, 3-0-0 SUNYAC)
Location: Deborah F. Stanley Arena | Oswego, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A hot start for the Lakers this evening would award them a handful of shots off the opening faceoff, testing the Bengals' starting goalie Marcus Cumberworth early in the first period. A stretch of faceoff wins by the Oswego centermen, would allow them maintain possession and gain some rhythm on offense. A miscommunication on the Laker bench would result in a too-many-men penalty awarding Buffalo State the first powerplay at the 10:51 mark of the period. A connected penalty kill effort by Oswego would shut the Bengals out, keeping the score 0-0. As play returned to even strength, the Lakers regained control of the pace, keeping Buffalo on their toes in their defensive zone. Cumberworth would hold down the fort in the final minutes of the period, blocking a series of 6 shots before the buzzer.
Play would turn into a back-and-forth battle at both ends of the ice in the opening minutes of the second period. As 50/50 battles heated up, the physicality of the game ramped up. The Bengals would gain offensive entry off a bad neutral zone bounce and would find a way to lay one behind Brandon Milberg in the crease. The goal would be called off due to the desperate scramble in front of the Lakers net. A brief scuffle after the whistle would send first year Michael Urgo and Bengals player Blake Deacon to the box for roughing. Both teams would remain even strength until a hooking penalty drawn by Ethan Perrault awarded Oswego a man-up advantage. A shot by Brandon Cohen would be sent wide but recovered by junior Jonathan Balah and fed to Jesse Horacek in the slot, where he would net the first of the game at the 11:26 mark, releasing Perrault from the box. The remainder of the period would continue to be a test of grit, as both the Bengals and Lakers would exchange a couple heavy hits in pursuit of the puck.
Undeterred by their 1-goal deficit, Buffalo State would score an equalizer goal just 2 and a half minutes into the third period. A roughing penalty called against Matthew McQuade on the following play would give the Bengals another power play advantage, but they would be unsuccessful. As the clock ticked down, the score remained at a stalemate despite both teams putting anything they could on net. A holding penalty by Buffalo would give the Lakers a final opportunity on the power play, but Marcus Cumberworth would keep them at bay saving a series of hefty shots. Regulation would expire and an overtime would be decided by a five-hole goal scored by Ethan Perrault just 22 seconds into the OT period. An unfortunate ending to a well-played game by Oswego would leave the Buffalo State Bengals undefeated in the SUNYAC with a 2-1 OT win.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lakers will have a quick turnaround as they will return to action tomorrow night against the SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils for their second conference matchup of the weekend. Puck drop will commence at 7:00 PM in Deborah F. Stanley Arena. Go Lakers!!
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