ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Oswego Men's Hockey hit the road, for the second time this weekend, and headed to Rochester, N.Y. to face off against Nazareth College. After pulling out a mere 4-3 win over the Golden Flyers in exhibition, the Lakers came out ready to dominate. An early goal by team captain Matthew McQuade would give Oswego a boost of energy, culminating with a 2nd goal in the final minutes. Now trailing 2-0, Nazareth buckled down, lessening their deficit to 2-1. This scoreline wouldn't last long, as the Lakers would capitalize on a powerplay advantage, heading into the final frame leading 3-1. A connected defensive effort by Oswego throughout the third period and an empty netter scored by Connor Gatto would finalize the Lakers' 4-2 win over the Nazareth College Golden Flyers.  

THE BASICS 
 
Final Score: 

Oswego 4 (7-5-2, 4-1-0 SUNYAC) 

Nazareth 2 (6-5-2, 2-4-2 UCHC) 

 
Location: Tim Hortons IcePlex | Rochester, N.Y. 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

After last night's loss to No. 3 Utica, the Lakers came out firing. First year Ryan Burke would win the opening faceoff win, but the Golden Flyers would have the first turn on offense, putting pucks on junior goaltender Brandon Milberg early. Despite the defensive start, it didn't take long for Oswego to gain momentum up ice to return a handful of hefty shots of their own. Undeterred by the unsuccessful array of shots, junior Matthew McQuade found a way to put one behind Lincoln Crosby, notching the first goal of the game, and his third goal of the weekend, just 7 minutes into the game. Like last night, McQuade's goal sent a much-needed boost through the Laker bench, allowing them to control puck battles and the pace of play in the following minutes. This newfound wave of energy culminated when first year Patrick Haughian added a 2nd goal to the tally with 5:45 remaining in the period. Oswego kept their foot on the gas for the final minutes of first period play, maintaining their growing 2-0 lead heading into the second frame. 
 

Now trailing 2-0, Nazareth buckled down, putting pressure on the Lakers in the beginning minutes of the second period. Sophomore Travis Baker would be sent to the box for roughing, awarding the Golden Flyers their 3rd power play advantage of the game. A lockdown effort by Oswego's penalty kill held Nazareth scoreless as their power play expired, but not for long, as Kai Shen secured his second goal of the season on the following play. Oswego did not waver, achieving some solid offensive zone time in the minutes after Shen's goal. A tripping penalty against the Flyers at 14:35 would give the Lakers a prime power play opportunity, on which Brandon Cohen capitalized, extending the scoreline to 3-1 at 16:24. A late roughing penalty drawn by Flyer Anthony Quinlivan would put his team on the penalty kill for the start of the 3rd period.  

Despite starting with man-up advantage, sophomore Cameron Symons would be sent to the box almost immediately for goalkeeper interference, leveling the playing field 4v4. As the final period got underway, the physicality picked up and the Flyers and Lakers struggled to avoid penalties, giving Nazareth three consecutive powerplays and Oswego two. Although both teams generated many quality scoring chances, the 3-1 score would persist for most of the 3rd period, until play would be stopped momentarily as the rink crew worked quickly to replace a broken piece of plexiglass behind the Lakers' net. As play resumed, a determined Golden Flyers squad caught Oswego on their heels, putting a second goal behind Miberg at the 12:30 mark. As the clock began to tick down, Nazareth did not give up, holding the Lakers in their zone for as long as 4 minutes. Golden Flyer head coach – pulled Crosby, adding an extra Nazareth skater for the final two minutes of play. A few hail mary attempts by Oswego would just miss the net wide, until Connor Gatto finalized the Lakers' hard-fought 4-2 win over Nazareth College.  

WHAT'S NEXT 

Oswego Men's Hockey will have a quick turnaround as they will head to Canton, N.Y. this Tuesday, January 14th where they will face off against SUNY Canton Kangaroos in hopes of securing two more SUNYAC points. Puck drop is set to commence at 5:00 PM. 

 
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