OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's hockey took to home ice this evening on Military Appreciation night, for their first conference matchup of the season against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos. Looking to start their SUNYAC campaign on the right foot, the Lakers came out of the gate flying. An early goal by the Roos would catch a tired Oswego defense off-guard, but the Lakers would be undeterred tallying an equalizer and a buzzer-beater goal before the end of the period. A scoreless second period would thoroughly test both goaltenders and Oswego's grit, as they fended off a hungry Canton offense to hold on to their 2-1 lead heading into the third period. A lull in the Lakers' dominant energy would give the Kangaroos a solid turn on offense, but a final goal notched by senior Tessa Mucha would secure Oswego's 3-1 first conference victory over SUNY Canton.  

THE BASICS  
 
Final Score:  

Oswego 3 (3-0-0, 0-0 SUNYAC) 

Canton 1 (1-2-0, 0-0 SUNYAC) 

Location: Deborah F. Stanley Arena | Oswego, N.Y.  

 
HOW IT HAPPENED  

The Lakers came out of the gate flying, winning the opening faceoff and gaining offensive zone entry almost immediately. Keeping the puck low, Oswego was able to maintain possession for the first few minutes, but a high chip by a Canton defenseman would give the Kangaroos some momentum through the neutral zone. Following this breakout, a solid line rush by the Roos would catch a tired Laker defense off guard, awarding opposing forward Kyra O'Keefe Canton's first and only goal of the game just less than 4 minutes into the first period. Now trailing 1-0, Oswego kicked it into gear limiting the Kangaroos' possession time and battering netminder Molly Lenihan with back-to-back shots. As play continued to get underway, the physicality between programs ramped up, handing Oswego a series of powerplay advantages in the late minutes of the first period. A nifty passing play between sophomore Helen Vandamme and senior Mackenzie Hull would set up assistant captain Simone Bednarik to secure an equalizer goal at the 17:52 mark. The Lakers kept the pressure on in the remaining minutes, generating a buzzer beating scoring chance netted by first year Shaye Jasiel, improving the scoreboard to 2-1 heading into the second period.  

Now playing catch-up, the Kangaroos meant business in the beginning minutes of the 2nd period, but the Lakers would be undeterred, gaining the redline and getting the puck deep. A compilation of shots and aggressive net drives by Oswego would keep Lenihan and the Canton defensemen on their toes. A few messy changes by both benches posed multiple, potential too-many-men penalties but both teams would remain even-strength until Simone Bednarik would take an interference penalty putting Oswego at a disadvantage in the final minute of second period play.  

A connected Oswego penalty kill unit would have no issue fending off the remaining time left on Canton's lackluster powerplay clock, regaining even-strength and offensive zone positioning. In the following minutes, play would turn into a back-and-forth pinball game with both teams eagerly trying to hold on to a bouncing puck. As the scoreboard ticked down, a lull in Oswego's dominant energy would give the Kangaroos some time to settle in offense, testing senior goaltender Lexi Levy's rebound control and puck tracking abilities, but would be unsuccessful. A handful of good breakouts by the Lakers would give them a few final chances in Canton's zone but none would breakthrough until senior forward Tessa Mucha capitalized on a rebound off the left pad of Molly Lenihan, notching Oswego's third goal at 13:29 and securing a 3-1 victory over the SUNY Canton Kangaroos.  

WHAT'S NEXT  

Next Friday, November 15th, your Lady Lakers will travel to Morrisville, N.Y. looking to secure a second conference win against the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs. Puck drop will commence at 7:00 PM in the SUNY Morrisville IcePlex.  

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

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