POTSDAM, N.Y. – Oswego Women's hockey hit the road today, traveling to Maxcy Hall Ice Arena to face off against the SUNY Potsdam Bears in the first matchup of this weekend's two-game conference series. With plans to uphold the success they have been having; the Lakers came out of the gate flying. Although the first period would end scoreless, a dominant performance by Oswego would still leave the Bears needing to play catchup. However, the tables did not take long to turn, as Potsdam found a way to secure the first goal of the game just minutes into the 2nd period, but persistent effort by the Lakers would allow them to achieve a mere 2-1 lead heading into the final frame. 

THE BASICS  
 
Final Score:  

Oswego 4 (10-1-1, 7-1-1 SUNYAC)   

Potsdam 3 (5-6-1, 1-5-1 SUNYAC) 

Location: Maxcy Hall Ice Arena | Potsdam, N.Y.  

 
HOW IT HAPPENED  

A fast start by the Lakers would allow them immediate access to Potsdam's defensive zone. A couple of early icing calls would send Oswego back to their end, but they would have no issue finding each other on the breakout. As the first period got underway, the Lakers turned up the heat, testing Potsdam net minder Maggie Parent with a heavy compilation of shots. Despite controlling play for most of the time, Oswego would find themselves on the penalty kill after a high-sticking penalty called against team captain, Sophia Kyrkostas. A disciplined 5-on-4 penalty kill effort by the Lakers would be depleted to 5-on-3 due to second penalty drawn by senior defenseman Rylee Preston. Oswego's dominant penalty kill would be rewarded with their first turn on the power play. A handful of promising scoring chances, generated by both Laker PP units, would find the net but none would evade the grips of Parent, sending the game into the 2nd period in a 0-0 stalemate.  

Unsatisfied with a scoreless first period, a determined Oswego bench came out with a full head of steam, hunting pucks down and putting them on net. A series of passing plays and tips would keep Maggie Parent and the Potsdam defensemen on their toes, but the Bears would fight back, pulling the Laker defensemen off their offensive blueline whenever they could. A good break for Potsdam would lead to Rebecca Holmes notching the first goal of the game after her shot bounced north off the top right corner pipe and behind veteran goaltender Lexi Levy with at the 16:11 mark. A few minutes later, Isabel Boyd would be sent to box for a 5-minute hitting from behind major, giving Oswego a prime opportunity. Although they could not find the back of the net on the power play, first year Sydney Pinti was undeterred, evening the tally with just 2:12 left to play. A tripping penalty on the following play would put Oswego back on the powerplay, on which sophomore transfer Jenna Majewski would tip Ashlyn McGrath's low shot between the legs of Parent at 0:12, giving the Lakers a mere 2-1 lead heading into the third period. 

Despite achieving a one-goal lead, a lackluster performance in the 2nd period would leave Oswego needing to clean up their act in the final frame of play. Rylee Preston would earn her second penalty of the game for tripping, but the Lakers would keep the Bears at bay on the penalty kill maintaining their lead as the period got underway. On the following play, a solid transition by Oswego would send Simone Bednarik up the ice. A seam pass to senior Mackenzie Hull by Bednarik gave her an undefended lane to net, generating a juicy rebound that first year forward Meagan Smith would finish on just 4:55 into the third. Undeterred, Potsdam came back swinging, adding a second goal to their scoreline just 3 minutes later. As the game clock began to expire, both teams continued to fight tooth and nail in every puck battle and for every shot on net. As the tensions increased, both teams also found themselves in the box in the final moments. Sara Barrett tied the score up 3-3 with just under 2 minutes to play, sending the game into an overtime period. A back-and-forth OT period would be resolved by a nifty off-handed shot by Meagan Smith, securing Oswego a 4-3 win over the SUNY Potsdam Bears.  

WHAT'S NEXT  

Oswego Women's Hockey will have a quick turnaround, returning to action against the Bears of SUNY Potsdam for the second matchup of the two-game weekend series tomorrow, January 17th at 3:00 PM in the Maxcy Ice Arena.  

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