Oswego, NY – The Oswego State Lakers men's ice hockey showed resilience on the road Friday night, striking early and battling until the final horn in a hard-fought 3-2 SUNYAC showdown against the Cortland Red Dragons men's ice hockey at Alumni Arena. Holding a third-period lead and pushing late with the extra attacker, the Lakers demonstrated the grit that has defined their season, even as the result ultimately slipped away in the closing minutes.
 
BASICS 
#10 Oswego: 2 (14-6-2, 11-4 SUNYAC)
Cortland: 3 (12-10-1, 9-6-1 SUNYAC)
Alumni Arena | Cortland, NY
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Oswego carried a 2-1 advantage into the final frame, but Cortland capitalized on special teams down the stretch, scoring twice on the power play to flip the script in a tightly contested conference battle.

The Lakers wasted little time setting the tone. At 4:55 of the opening period, Colin Vassallo buried the first goal of the game off a feed from Cam Symons, finishing a strong early shift that put Oswego in front 1-0. The Lakers controlled much of the first period pace, outshooting Cortland and killing off an early penalty to maintain the edge through 20 minutes.

Cortland evened the score at 4:59 of the second period on an even-strength tally from Devlin O'Kane, but Oswego responded just 12 seconds later. Brandon Cohen restored the lead at 5:11, finishing a setup from Ryan Burke and Josh Simpson in a quick-strike answer that showcased the Lakers' resilience. Cohen's fifth of the season gave Oswego a 2-1 cushion heading into the third.

After successfully killing off multiple penalties earlier in the night, Oswego found itself under sustained pressure in the final period. Thomas Rockey tied the game at 7:34 on the power play, and with 7:11 remaining, Conor Humphrey netted the eventual game-winner—also with the man advantage—to give Cortland its first lead of the night at 3-2.

The difference came on special teams. While the Lakers went 0-for-2 on the power play, generating five shots, Cortland converted twice on seven opportunities.

Michael Manzi made 26 saves in net for Oswego, keeping the Lakers within striking distance throughout, including several key stops during second-period penalty kills. Oswego finished with 30 shots on goal, led by a six-shot effort from Matt McQuade.

Despite a late push with the extra attacker and offensive-zone pressure in the closing minute, the Lakers were unable to solve Nolan Suggs, who turned aside 28 shots for the Red Dragons.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Lakers will remain on the road tomorrow and take on the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs at 7:00 PM in Morrisville, NY.