PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Oswego Women's hockey took the ice this afternoon in the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena for their first matchup of this weekend's two-game series against conference rival, the SUNY Plattsburgh Cardinals. A back-and-forth first period would give both teams time to settle in, at both ends of the ice, and each a turn on the powerplay, but neither would be successful leaving the score 0-0 heading into the 2nd frame. A physical second period would place both teams in the box but only Plattsburgh would find a way to breakthrough, notching the first goal at 10:35. Despite Oswego returning a handful of solid scoring chances, they would begin the third trailing 1-0. A second goal by Plattsburgh in the early minutes of the third would finalize Oswego's first loss of the season.   

THE BASICS  
 
Final Score:  

Oswego 0 (8-1-1, 5-1-1 SUNYAC)   

Plattsburgh 2 (9-2-1, 5-1-1 SUNYAC) 

Location: Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena | Plattsburgh, N.Y.  

 
HOW IT HAPPENED  

After a back-and-forth start, the Cardinals would have the first possession on offense. A few solid breakouts by the Lakers would get them over the blueline but would be turned back by Plattsburgh before the redline. An early high-sticking penalty drawn by opposing forward Ella Procyk would award Oswego the first powerplay advantage of the game at 17:06. A connected Cardinal penalty kill made it hard for the Lakers to gain momentum on their PP, but Oswego maintained possession. A hooking penalty called against first year Elizabeth Cooley would give Plattsburgh a turn on the powerplay, but they too would be unsuccessful. As the first period clock began to tick down, Oswego kept the pressure on at both ends of the ice, intercepting passes in neutral ice and locking down their defensive end. Senior Ashlyn McGrath would get taken down in front of the Plattsburgh net after a strong net drive, giving the Lakers an advantage in the late minutes of the period. Play would return to even strength with just 0:58 second remaining but time would expire with the score tied 0-0.  

A hot 2nd period start by the Cardinals would catch Oswego on their heels, as Plattsburgh found offensive ice after two bad changes by Oswego in the beginning minutes. An illegal interference drawn by Plattsburgh would give the Lakers their third powerplay of the game, on which Erika Parenti would have a solid scoring chance that would unfortunately be stopped by Cardinal netminder Chloe Lewis. Despite setting the tone at the start of the period, Plattsburgh found it hard to stay out of the box, earning a second consecutive penalty. The game would remain scoreless until Mattie Norton notched a powerplay goal at the 10:35 mark, giving the Cards a 1-0 lead. Although Plattsburgh found some jump after their goal, they would find themselves on defense in the following minutes. A nifty cross crease play generated by assistant captain Simone Bednarik would give linemate Mack Hull a last-ditch scoring chance, but nothing would breakthrough. The Lakers would head into the final period trailing 1-0.  

Plattsburgh would win the final opening faceoff, gaining immediate offensive access. A deadlocked corner battle would get blown dead by the referee, setting up an in-zone faceoff won by Oswego. A bobbled puck in the corner would give Cardinal forward, Emily Kasprzak, a lane to the net along the goal line. A shot off the skate of Lexi Levy would pop out to the stick of Tessa Morris in front, who would finish high blocker, extending Plattsburgh's lead to 2-0 just 2:21 into the 3rd period. As time began to diminish, the Cards received another tripping penalty, putting the Lakers on yet another powerplay. Plattsburgh head coach, Kevin Houle, called a timeout to give his PK unit some direction and rest, which paid off as they were able to hold Oswego in their zone for the remaining minute of their advantage. As play returned to even-strength, the Cardinals kept their foot on the gas. The Lakers would pull Levy, adding an extra skater for the final 1:30 of the game. Despite a valiant effort, Oswego would drop their first game of the season 2-0 to SUNY Plattsburgh.  

WHAT'S NEXT  

The Lady Lakers will have a quick turnaround, returning to action tomorrow January 11th at 1:00 PM, for their second competition of this weekend's two-game series against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals. 

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