CANTON, N.Y. -- Oswego Women's Hockey headed to the Roos' house to face off against SUNY Canton for the second matchup of this weekend's conference series. Determined to correct yesterday's 1-0 loss to Canton, the Lakers opened with heavy pressure and long stretches of zone time, generating multiple quality chances. With the game still deadlocked 0-0, Canton gradually tilted momentum their way in the second period, capitalizing on a powerplay goal, while Oswego's surge couldn't breakthrough, trailing 1-0 heading into the final frame. Unsatisfied with their scoreless efforts, the Lakers regained control of the game, finding an equalizer and a one-goal lead in the middle minutes of the third. But not ready to relinquish, the Roos answered late forcing overtime at 2-2. A tight, chance-trading OT period solved nothing, but in the shootout Riccobelli, Cunliffe, and Smith converted to secure the Lakers the edge in the result.
THE BASICS
Final Score:
Oswego 2 (10-8-1, 4-3-1 SUNYAC) Shootout Win
Canton 2 (10-7-2, 2-5-1 SUNYAC)
Location: Terry L. Martin Ice Arena| Canton, N.Y.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A hot start by the Lakers gave them instant offensive access, keeping Canton on their heels for the beginning minutes of the first period. Working diligently to maintain possession in Canton's zone, Oswego almost capitalized on a few of their initial shot attempts. Kangaroo, Ashten Morris, would be the first to serve time in the penalty box for a tripping penalty, giving the Lakers an advantage just 3:49 into the period. Settling in quickly, a nice shot sent through by Lauren Riccobelli was tipped in the net by junior Jenna Majewski, but the goal would promptly be called off due to a crease violation. Unphased, Canton returned to full strength; gaining some speed in transition, awarding first year Ava Christensen with her first career saves in net. While the period continued to unfold, the Lakers did not hesitate on offense, peppering Molly Lenihan at the other end of the ice with a compilation of heavy shots and rebounds. As the clock winded down, a final offensive effort by yesterday's lone goal scorer, Danika Lalonde, would be collected by Christensen as the initial buzzer sounded. Leaving the scoreline tied 0-0.
Another opening faceoff win would allow the Lakers to walk into Canton's zone, but they would struggle to penetrate on offense. The Kangaroos' commitment to blocking shots would pay off as forward Chamonix Jackson earned a breakaway after blocking a hard shot released by defenseman Tilly Pethrick. A glove save made by Christensen rejected Jackson's attempt, keeping the game scoreless. As the period kept underway, Canton kept their foot on the gas, slowly tilting the ice in their favor, but with both teams determined to open scoring, the physicality began to escalate. Shaye Jasiel would succumb to the intensity of play, finding her way to the box for a 5-minute boarding penalty at 8:11. Confident on the penalty kill, Oswego consistently pressured in the corners and disrupted Canton's passes. The Lakers remained unscathed for most of the kill, until the Roos finally broke through with a redirection goal tallied at the 12:45 mark by Jane Pancoe. On the following shift, 5-on-5 play would resume, but not for long as the Kangaroos took a turn of their own on the penalty kill at 14:57. Scrambling to find an equalizer, the Lakers put their nose to the grindstone in the final minutes of the second period. Still trailing 1-0 entering the final frame.
Wasting no time in the third period, Oswego regained control of the game, consistently winning faceoffs and forcing Canton to work for every scoring opportunity. An early powerplay opportunity for the Lakers would not generate much, but they were not ready to relinquish. Retaining strong net front presence and possession in the following minutes, Oswego chipped away on offense with a nice series of shots that would be completed with a goal sent in by first year Julia Power in the slot. Now 1-1, the Lakers continued to churn out offense, notching a second goal four minutes later at the 11:13 mark. The remaining minutes would quickly turn into a back-and-forth battle, with Canton tying the game up 2-2 with just under 3 minutes to play. With neither team able to collect a tiebreaker, they both prepared for a competitive overtime period.
Desperate to find the back of the net, the Lakers and Roos traded possession during overtime, making it difficult for the other to produce any quality offense. Leaving a "winner" to be decided in a shootout. Shooting first, Laker Lauren Riccobelli set the tone with a successful short side shot. At the other end of the ice, the Roos looked to match on their first attempt but would be declined. Georgia Cunliffe secured another successful point at the top of the second round, but Canton sent it to a 3rd round with one of their own. A final goal scored by Meagan Smith would conclude action and award the Lakers an edge in today's draw.
WHAT'S NEXT
Oswego Women's Hockey will need to rebuild and prepare from the bottom up before another important weekend of SUNYAC games. The Lakers will first faceoff against the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs on Friday, February 6th at 3:00PM, then heading to Cortland, N.Y. for their second game against the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. Go Lakers!
Written by Matilda Pethrick
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