OSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego Women's Hockey hit home ice this afternoon to kick off their second to last weekend of the regular season, facing off against the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs in a two-game series. After sweeping SUNY Canton last weekend, the Lakers are determined to close out their remaining SUNYAC competitions undefeated and clinch the first seed for conference playoffs. The Lakers would face off against a tough Mustangs team that was not about to let anything come easy. The Lakers would push the pace early and often as they would put up a goal in the first that would see them start with a lead and never look back. 
 

THE BASICS  
 
Final Score:  

Oswego 4 (19-2-1, 13-1-1 SUNYAC)   

Morrisville 0 (9-13-0, 6-9-0 SUNYAC) 

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

 
HOW IT HAPPENED  

An opening faceoff win by the Mustangs, would quickly be turned around by an eager Laker squad. An early compilation of shots generated by Oswego would give the opposing netminder, Elizabeth Timby, a solid feel for the puck in the beginning minutes of the first period. Morrisville would return a couple shots of their own, but the Lakers wasted no time, regaining possession and offensive zone positioning. A puck battle on the high left wall would kick the puck out to the stick of Meagan Smith, handing it off to sophomore defenseman Tilly Pethrick on the far side where she would take a quick shot that would find its way over the right pad of Timby at 7:26. Now trailing 1-0, the Mustangs picked up their intensity as the clock ticked down, but the Lakers responded well continuing to find each other on breakouts and take their chances on net. A strong effort in the final minutes by both teams would invoke some excitement for both benches, but Oswego would have to settle with a 1-0 lead heading into the 2nd period.

A determined Morrisville team came out hot in the starting minutes of the second period, taking away some of the Lakers' rhythm as they settled back into play. Both teams would trade shots on net, but Lexi Lexy and Timby would both stand tall, keeping the Lakers' 1-0 scoreline unmatched. A nice zone entry and good composure on the half wall by first year Elizabeth Cooley would eventually open a lane to Shaye Jasiel who would find the back of the net off a one-timer, extending Oswego's lead to 2-0 at the 12:00 mark. Just three minutes later, Erika Parenti would find team captain Sophia Kyrkostas at center ice, sending her on a breakaway on which she would finish on a third goal at 15:02. On the following play, Simone Bednarik and Amelia Lomas both would be sent to the box for matching penalties, diminishing even-strength to 4-on-4. As the clock ticked down, the Lakers continued to dominate on faceoffs closing out the second period up 2-0.  
 

First year Meagan Smith would take a turn in the sin bin for an illegal cross-checking penalty just 0:31 seconds into the final period, giving the Mustangs the first power play advantage of the game. A lockdown defensive effort by Oswego on the penalty kill, would disrupt any momentum Morrisville was able to find on their advantage. As play returned to 5v5, Smith would make up for her penalty with a clutch feed to senior Simone Bednarik in the high slot of the Mustangs' zone, where she would close out scoring for the evening with a fourth and final goal at the 3:21 mark of the 3rd period. The remaining 16 minutes of play would be a back-and-forth battle, but the Lakers would manage to keep Morrisville at bay, pulling away from today's matchup with a 4-0 shutout win.  

WHAT'S NEXT  

Oswego Women's Hockey will have a quick turnaround, returning to action tomorrow afternoon for the second game of this weekend's doubleheader, against the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs. Puck drop will commence at 1:00 PM in the Deborah F. Stanley Ice Arena. Go Lakers! 

 
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