OSWEGO, N.Y. -- Oswego Women's Hockey returned to the Deborah F. Stanley Arena this afternoon to unofficially open their 2025-26 season in an exhibition game against the St. John Fisher Cardinals. With a hungry returning core, and an eager first year class, the Lakers came out looking to start on a forward foot. Doing just that Oswego would dominate the opening period, challenging St. John Fisher with 20 shots on net. A scoreless first period left the Lakers demanding more, collecting 2 powerplay goals in the second. In the final frame, Oswego would find themselves on the penalty kill for a series of minutes. Unphased, the Lakers would return to even strength and respond promptly to the Cardinals only scoring contribution, securing a 3-1 win over St. John Fisher.
THE BASICS
Final Score:
Oswego 3 (0-0-0, 0-0-0 SUNYAC)
St. John Fisher 1 (0-0-0, 0-0-0 UCHC)
Location: Deborah F. Stanely Ice Arena | Oswego, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A hot start by the Cardinals would catch the Lakers on their heels on defense, off the opening faceoff. Wasting no time, Oswego found their legs on the breakout and moved in on offense, testing Fisher goaltender Brynn Bacak with a variety of shots in the beginning minutes. Keeping heavy pressure on offense, the Lakers maintained possession for much of the period, dominating in corner battles and on faceoffs. A late boarding penalty charged to first year Kayla Doerre would award Cardinals the first powerplay opportunity of the game, but a connected Oswego penalty kill would deter any quality attempts. The Lakers would rack up 20 shots in the first period, but the game would remain scoreless, heading into the second period.
Eager to level the score, St. John Fisher came out firing in the second period, but their physical effort would result in an early interference penalty and Laker powerplay. Unsuccessful on the advantage, Oswego built off their forward momentum, preserving possession in the following minutes. The Cardinals would suffer a too many men penalty at the 15:24 minute-mark, awarding the Lakers the first goal of the game on powerplay at 16:15. As Oswego settled into their 1-0 lead, the Cardinals struggled to stay out of the box, giving the Lakers another opportunity to capitalize. Doing just that, a tip goal scored by first year Lauren Riccobelli extended the scoreline to 2-0 seconds before the final frame.
Not ready to relinquish, it did not take long for the Cardinals to reignite their second period spark. A series of penalties taken by the Lakers would put them at a 5-on-3 disadvantage for a handful of minutes. Oswego returned to full-strength unscathed, but not for long, as Fisher finally found the back of the net on the succeeding play. Unphased, Georgia Cunliffe would win the next faceoff, sending Liliana Ficaro down the right side of the Cardinals' zone. A hefty wrist shot from Ficaro would evade the blocker of Bacak at 13:53. Both teams would trade possession in the final minutes, but a persistent effort all over the rink by the Lakers would seal a 3-1 win over St. John Fisher.
WHAT'S NEXT
Oswego Women's Hockey will return to the Deb next Saturday, October 25th to host the Nazareth University Golden Flyers in their final exhibition game before the official start of their 2024-25 campaign. Puck drop is set for 3:00PM. Go Lakers!
Written by Matilda Pethrick
@OswegoAthletics | FB: OswegoAthleticsOfficial | IG: oswegoathletics
