BUFFALO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's hockey hit the road this afternoon to head to Buffalo, N.Y. to face off against the Buffalo State Bengals in their second SUNYAC competition of the weekend. The Lakers' commanding 4-1 win over the Potsdam Bears last night gave them some momentum moving into today's matchup as they found immediate scoring momentum off the first puck drop. Oswego would use their speed to their advantage, putting 3 goals behind the Bengals in the 1^st period. As the second period got underway, the Lakers began to lose some energy but still managed to add another tally to the board, extending their lead to 4-0. An energetic effort by Oswego to finish out the final frame allowed them to close out their second conference competition of the weekend with a 5-0 win over the Buffalo State Bengals, remaining undefeated in the 2024 stretch of their season.  
 
THE BASICS  
 
Final Score:  
Oswego 5 (7-0-1, 5-0-1 SUNYAC) 
Buffalo State 0 (3-7-1, 1-6-1 SUNYAC) 
 
Location: Buffalo State Ice Arena | Buffalo, N.Y.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED  
 
Riding off their 4-1 win last night, Oswego was excited to step out against the Bengals in today's matchup. A solid few opening minutes by the Lakers would earn them the first powerplay opportunity of the game on which first year Elizabeth Cooley would open scoring just 3:15 into the first period. As play returned to even strength Oswego would maintain possession and fire a compilation of shots on Buffalo net minder Jessica Auge. A hefty one-timer from defenseman Tilly Pethrick at the blueline would just barely miss the top of Auge's head, hitting the center of the crossbar. The Lakers continued to push the pace of play and keep offensive positioning. A connected transition following a neutral zone turnover would send team captain Sophia Kyrkostas up the ice and down the slot where she would net a five-hole goal at 12:46, improving the scoreline to 2-0. The Bengals would return a few scoring chances of their own, but they would be shut down by Lexi Levy and the Laker defenseman. An elusive drive out of the right corner by senior Mackenzie Hull would give her some space to float a puck through to the lower pad of Auge. A rebound would kick out to the stick of Simone Bednarik who would bury it in the back of the Bengals' net, making the score 3-0 heading into the second period.  
 
The start of the second period would mimic the first, as the Lakers found themselves on a second powerplay advantage due to a too-many-men penalty drawn by Buffalo at 3:08. Despite a handful of quality scoring chances, Oswego would be kept at bay by a disciplined Bengals penalty kill. On the following play, sophomore Helen Vandamme would gain possession of a loose puck that trickled out into the high slot. A nifty move around a Bengal forward would give Vandamme time to place the puck just over the right shoulder of Auge, notching a fourth goal for the Lakers at the 5:53 mark. Oswego began to take their foot off the gas in the final minutes of 2^nd period play, but still managed to dominate at both ends of the ice.  
 
An energetic effort by Oswego would allow them to finish out the third period and their second SUNYAC competition of the weekend with a 5-0 win over the Buffalo State Bengals, remaining undefeated in the 2024 stretch of their season.  
 
WHAT'S NEXT  

Your Lady Lakers will enjoy a shortened but well-earned Winter Break before returning to action on January 4th in Clinton, N.Y. where they will face off against the Hamilton College Continentals in a non-conference matchup. Puck drop will commence at 5:00 PM in Sage Rink located in the campus' Delaney Team Center.