CORTLAND, N.Y. – Oswego Women's Hockey traveled south this afternoon to kick off SUNYAC playoffs against the rivaled Cortland Red Dragons. After two consecutive semi-final losses to the Dragons, the Lakers came ready to end Cortland's season. The back-and-forth nature of the game would test both teams' persistence and skill. The Lakers scored first, despite struggling to break the puck out of their defensive zone. The Red Dragons responded just minutes later to tie the game 1-1. The game would remain tied until Cortland snuck one past the ankle of Lexi Levy, securing their spot in the SUNYAC championship with a 2-1 win over the Lakers. 

THE BASICS  
 
Final Score: Oswego 1 (14-11-1,12-6-1 SUNYAC), Cortland 2 (19-5-2, 14-4-1 SUNYAC)  
Location: Alumni Arena | Cortland, N.Y.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED  
 The Lakers and Red Dragons both came out looking to make a mark in the opening minutes of play. The dragons took the first turn on offense, keeping the Lakers in their defensive zone for the majority of the first period despite having a power play opportunity just two minutes in. Rylee Preston would unfortunately be sent to the box for boarding at 8:54 putting the Lakers at a disadvantage. Despite a few close scoring chances, the Red Dragons were unable to breakthrough Oswego's penalty kill. Impressive eyes from Junior goaltender Lexi Levy kept Cortland at bay, stopping a wide variety of 17 shots. The first period would close out with the scoreboard tied 0-0.  

Oswego started the second period on offense, getting a few decent looks on net but would quickly find themselves stuck in their defensive zone once again. A chip behind Cortland's defense would send Sophia Krykostas and Tessa Mucha on odd man rush, Junior Lauren Schell finished five-hole on a rebound given up by Cortland net minder Molly Goergen at 6:15 giving Oswego a 1-0 lead over the Red Dragons. In the following minutes Simone Bednarik would give Kyrkostas a one-timer opportunity that soared just inches above the crossbar. At the 7:22 mark, Dany Donegan of Cortland would respond with a goal to tie the score at 1-1. Both teams would have some extra room on the ice due to matching penalties being called with 2:49 left in the second period. The scoreline would remain tied 1-1 heading into the third.  

As the third period opened both teams took turns on offense, finding equally close scoring opportunities off both shots and passing plays. A few intercepted passes down low in Oswego's defensive zone almost awarded the Dragons multiple goals, but Levy stood tall, keeping the score tied at one. A few scary open ice hits shook both teams, but neither would let up. A low shot past the ankle of Levy, by Cortland forward Gillian Zwolak, would put the Red Dragons up 2-1 with 7:30 minutes to go in the third period. An unsuccessful powerplay would leave Oswego desperate for a goal heading into the last minutes of regulation. A hungry Cortland power play unit would test the Lakers in the final two minutes, but Oswego would not waiver, fighting for every inch. A time-out called by Cortland with 43.5 seconds to go would give both teams some time to catch their breath and to reconvene. The Red Dragons iced the puck in hopes of securing a third goal on an empty Oswego net, but missed, running the clock down and securing a 2-1 win over the Lakers.  

The Lakers finished the 2023-24 season with an overall record of 14-11-1 and a conference record of 12-6-1.  

WHAT'S NEXT  

Thank you, Oswego Women's Ice Hockey fans, for your endless support throughout the 2023-24 season!  

Written By: Matilda Pethrick 

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