OSWEGO, N.Y. -- Oswego Women's Hockey hit the road for the first time this year, heading to Utica, N.Y. for the second game of this weekend's non-conference series against the Utica University Pioneers. After a successful 3-0 showing last night, the Lakers looked to carry their winning momentum into today's matchup. An active effort off the opening faceoff would give them the first turn on offense, but Utica would be the first to find the back of the net in the final minutes of the first period. With their sights set on leveling the score in the 2nd, the Lakers would continue to extinguish the Pioneers at both ends of the ice but would still head into the final frame trailing 1-0. Despite a connected effort throughout the third period and 40 shots on net, Oswego was unable to notch a goal, falling 1-0 to the Utica University Pioneers as the buzzer sounded.  

THE BASICS  
 
Final Score:  

Oswego 0 (2-2-0, 0-0-0 SUNYAC)   

Utica 1 (1-1-0, 0-0-0 UCHC) 

Location: Deborah F. Stanely Ice Arena | Oswego, N.Y.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 

An active start by Oswego helped them gain possession off the opening faceoff. A quick shot sent in by first year Lauren Riccobelli would be batted away by Utica goaltender Katherine Sheahan, but the Lakers maintained offensive positioning, earning the first powerplay opportunity less than a minute into play. A connected Pioneer penalty kill shutdown a handful of looks generated by Oswego, returning to even-strength unscathed. Finding their legs in the neutral zone, Utica finally found some momentum. A hefty shot, put on net by Pioneer defender Maya Jerome, would just nearly evade the blocker of Mia Devivo breaking open the scoreline at the 15:45 mark. Set on regaining their rhythm in the final minutes, the Lakers continued to chip away on offense, testing Sheahan with a healthy range of shots and passing plays up until the buzzer. 

Still trailing 1-0, Oswego focused on elevating their compete level and offensive urgency in the early minutes of the second frame. A couple of early chances for the Lakers would not produce anything of note, but as they continued to regain some jump, the level of physicality also picked up. This resulted in both teams trading turns on the powerplay, but neither were able to add to the scoreboard. Like last night's matchup, Oswego dominated the latter half of the second period but still could not manage to find the back of the net. Sending the game into the third period stagnant at 1-0.  

Junior Erika Parenti won the final opening faceoff, giving her linemates immediate offensive entry. Oswego maintained possession in the O-zone for a series of almost 6 consecutive minutes, keeping a tired Pioneer unit on their heels. A Utica defenseman was finally able to clear the puck out, forcing the Lakers to regroup and reattack under heavy pressure. Wasting no time setting their offensive systems back up, Oswego appeared as if they were a man-up but still could not level the score. While the clock quickly expired, head coach Mark Digby called a timeout, allowing his Lakers to catch their breath and scheme a last-ditch plan of action. Executing their plan almost perfectly, an errant shot by Sydney Pinti would miss the net by mere inches as the final buzzer sounded.  

WHAT'S NEXT  

Oswego Women's Hockey will have a week to prepare for their first conference matchup of the season, opening their SUNYAC campaign against the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on Alumni Weekend. Puck drop is set for 3:00PM this Friday, November 14th in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. Go Lakers! 

Written by Matilda Pethrick 

 
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