Oswego, N.Y. - Oswego Men's Ice Hockey unofficially began their 2026-2027 season in an exhibition match against the St. John Fisher Cardinals. The Lakers controlled this match on both the defensive and offensive sides of the rink, from start to finish. The Cardinals were shutout, and limited to only 18 total shots on goal compared to Oswego's 46. Combined with stellar defense, their play led to the final score of 7-0, starting the season off in dominant fashion.

Basics

#12/12 Oswego: 7 (0-0-0, 0-0-0 SUNYAC)

St. John Fisher: 0 (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Empire 8)

Location: Deborah F. Stanley Ice Arena | Oswego, NY

How it Happened

The Lakers opened up their first unofficial match of the season mainly playing on their own side of the ice. The Cardinals came out with intensity and pace, keeping the Lakers on the defensive end of the rink, rattling off multiple shots in the first few minutes of play. Gavin McCarthy, despite the offensive pressure from St. John Fisher saved every shot that came his way, with several back-to-back shots from the Cardinals being deflected or saved by the netminder. The Lakers and Cardinals traded offensive possessions back and forth with no shots converting, until a shot by Jake Gutwirth found its way to the back of net, with assists from Austin Borggaard and Rich Rucireto. The Lakers, looking to extend their lead, won the next faceoff and were immediately able to secure another goal, where an assist by Alex Payie and a shot by Jesse Hornacek put them up by 2. With 1 minute left in the period, Oswego got their first chance at a power play. With the clock ticking down, the Lakers pushed the pace and were able to convert on a shot by Ryan Burke, assisted by Colin Vassallo and Travis Baker, giving the team a 3-0 cushion heading into the second frame.

Looking to keep up that aggressive pace, Oswego continued to rattle off more shots until they were struck with a penalty, and forced to switch to more defense-oriented play. The Cardinals weren't able to convert on their power play, and less than 4 minutes into the period, the Lakers at full strength converted on a shot made by Colin Vassallo, assisted by Brendan Gillmore. Less than a minute later, Travis Baker secured his first goal of the night to go along with his 1 assist. The middle of the 2nd period was spent seeing both teams taking multiple shots on goal but none seeing the back of the net, until a goal by Brandon Cohen sparked their offense with 3 minutes left in the period, leading to Austin Borggaard's second goal of the night. The Lakers close the second frame with a comfortable 7-0 cushion.

Despite the nonstop action in the previous 2 frames, no goals or distinctive defensive plays occurred through the first 15 minutes of the last period. The pace of play had noticeably slowed down, as the Laker's large point cushion allowed them to play more relaxed. Multiple power plays happened for both teams, but no shots on goal converted, keeping the score at 7-0. The Cardinals had multiple shots on goal in the final 2 minutes of the match, but goalie Aiden McKenna held the net down even with some close calls, to ice St. John Fisher out with a final score of 7-0.

What's Next

Oswego Men's Ice Hockey will return next Saturday, October 24th, to host the Nazareth Golden Flyers for their second and final exhibition match before the official start of the 2026-2027 season. Start time for the game is set for 7:00 PM.