ANGOLA, I.N. – Oswego Men's Hockey hit the ice this evening against the Trine University Thunder in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A controlled start by both teams would quickly turn into a back-and-forth battle, but the Lakers kept their foot on the gas in the final minutes, tilting the momentum in their favor heading into the second period. An eager 2nd period start by Oswego would instantly be matched by Trine, with both teams racing to find the first point of the match. About halfway into the second, the Thunder would catch the Lakers on a bad change, notching the first of the game off a quality passing play. A second goal by Trine would follow not far behind, as Oswego would be left to pick up the pieces of a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd period. The Lakers found a way to respond to third tally by the Thunder, but it just wasn't enough, falling 4-1 to Trine University 0:10 before the buzzer.  

THE BASICS 
Final Score: 
Oswego 1 (16-9-3, 9-4-1 SUNYAC) 
Trine 4 (21-6-2, 12-4-2 NCHA) 
Location: Thunder Ice Arena | Angola, I.N. 

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

An opening faceoff win by team captain Matthew McQuade kicked off a series of back-and-forth beginning minutes. As both teams settled in, a couple heavy shots would give both Brandon Milberg and opposing netminder, Ronnie Petrucci, a good feel for the puck early on. A physical play by first year Brandon Cohen would send him to the box, awarding the Thunder the first advantage of the game at 8:50. Despite a couple quality chances, Trine would be kept at bay by a connected Oswego penalty kill unit, finding themselves in their defensive end as play returned to even-strength. A few minutes later an unfortunate bounce behind the Laker defensemen would send Trine forward Tyler Blanchard on a pressured breakaway, but a cross-crease save by Milberg would keep the game scoreless. As the clock began to wither, Oswego kept their foot on the gas tilting the ice in their favor heading into the second period.  

Building off their dominant finish to the first period, the Lakers came out looking to secure the first tally of the game, but Trine wasted no time returning Oswego's eager energy. A slashing penalty would be charged to senior Daniel Colabufo at the 7:23 mark, but the Thunder would fail, once again, to capitalize on the power play. In the following minutes, the Lakers would complete an unsuccessful power play turn of their own. As Tyler Fox returned to the Trine bench, his teammates caught the Lakers on a bad line change. Alexander Babich settled a rolling puck and passed it off to first year Drew Jeffers who would finally find the back of the net off a one-timer at 14:52. Just two minutes later, a slick backhand toe-drag would deceive Brandon Milberg as Brendan Finn buried the puck far side low at 16:57. The stress of the 2-0 deficit began to weigh on the Lakers as they would find themselves on the penalty kill for the remainder of the second period.  

The Thunder would benefit from the remainder of their advantage in the first minute of the final frame play, extending their lead to 3-0 just 0:34 seconds in. Oswego continued to batter Petrucci with an array of shots, but none would fall their way until first year Jesse Horacek tucked the Lakers' first and only goal past the skate of Petrucci. Improving the scoreline to 3-1 at the 13:42 mark. Trine would be charged with a delay of game penalty on the next play, but the score would unfortunately remain 3-1 after Oswego's second advantage of the game. With just 3:34 to play, Head coach Ed Gosek pulled Milberg in hopes of generating some last-minute offense with a sixth skater. With just 0:10 seconds left to play; the Trine University Thunder secured their 4-1 victory over the Lakers with an empty netter.  

WHAT'S NEXT 

Oswego Men's Hockey ends their 2024-25 season with a 16-9-3 overall record, collecting a SUNYAC Championship title, their first NCAA tournament berth since 2019 and multiple SUNYAC player honors. Congratulations to senior Daniel Colabufo for a great career and a huge thank you to the fans for a great season! Go Lakers! 

Written by Matilda Pethrick 

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