PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Oswego Women's hockey returned to action today in the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena for the second matchup of this weekend's doubleheader against the No.6 SUNY Plattsburgh Cardinals. After feeling the sting of their first loss of the season, the Lakers came out of the gate firing. Throughout the first period both teams settled into the pace of play and traded possession, but neither would breakthrough. Unsatisfied with a scoreless first period the Lakers buckled down in the 2nd frame, notching the first goal around the 9-minute mark. A determined defensive effort by Oswego allowed them to maintain their 1-0 lead for the final period and add a second tally to the board before the buzzer. Despite dropping their first game last night, the Lakers split the two-game series with a 2-0 win over the Cardinals, regaining their first-place spot in the SUNYAC.   

THE BASICS  
Final Score:  

Oswego 2 (9-1-1, 6-1-1 SUNYAC)   

Plattsburgh 0 (9-3-1, 5-2-1 SUNYAC) 

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

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

Another determined start by both teams generated some early scoring chances at both ends of the ice. A handful of connected breakouts by the Laker defenseman would give them some offensive momentum but an undeterred Cardinals squad wasted no time returning a compilation of passing plays and heavy shots on veteran netminder Lexi Lexy. As the first period got underway, both teams began to settle into the pace of the game, but possession remained about equal between the two. A solid couple minutes of zone time by Oswego would unfortunately be stopped by a hitting from behind penalty drawn by sophomore Jenna Majewski, awarding Plattsburgh the first powerplay advantage of the game at with 2:43 remaining in the first frame. The Lakers would keep the Cardinals at bay and regain even strength with just less than a minute remaining to play. 

Unsatisfied with a scoreless first period the Lakers buckled down in the beginning minutes of the 2nd frame, testing opposing goaltender Chloe Lewis with a good series of shots right off the bat. First year Meagan Smith would put the Cardinals back on the powerplay at the 12:34 mark. A second unsuccessful powerplay for Plattsburgh would be met with an offensive surge by Oswego. Katie Demers would win a corner battle deep in the Cards' zone, offloading the puck to senior Mackenzie Hull who would find the stick of assistant captain Simone Bednarik in the crease. Bednarik would finish the puck five-hole, notching the first goal of the game at 9:36. In the succeeding minutes, Plattsburgh would earn their first turn in the box, but made it difficult for the Lakers to get pucks through to Lewis. Play returned to even-strength, but not for long as Hull drew an interference penalty, straight off the bench, on the following play. An aggressive penalty kill and defensive effort by Oswego in the final minutes, allowed them to maintain their mere 1-0 lead heading into the third.  

A final opening faceoff win by graduate student Jayden Kelley gave the Lakers immediate access to Plattsburgh's zone, but it didn't take long for the Cardinals to match Oswego's excited energy. With both teams fighting for every inch the physicality of play picked up, sending senior Tessa Mucha and Kate Conlan to the penalty box. Mucha's major roughing penalty would hold her in the box for a few minutes, but she would eventually return to the bench. Despite having power play advantage, the Cards struggled to play fair, earning 2 consecutive penalties, putting the Lakers up 5-on-3 for a brief minute. As the 3rd period clock began to tick down, Oswego stayed vigilant, winning faceoffs and intercepting passes at both ends of the ice. Plattsburgh head coach Kevin Houle would pull Chloe Lewis with 1 minute left, in hopes of generating some looks with an extra skater. Some high risks aren't rewarded as Mackenzie Hull would finish on the net off a Hail Mary shot-pass, securing the Lakers' 2-0 win over the Cardinals.   

WHAT'S NEXT  

Oswego Women's Hockey will have a week of practice at home before taking another conference business trip, but this time to Potsdam, N.Y. to face off against the Bears of SUNY Potsdam. The first competition of the two-game series is on Friday, January 17th at 7:00 PM in the Maxcy Ice Arena.  
 
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