Campus Center Ice Arena
Ticket Information
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SCHEDULE
Friday, December 30
4 p.m. -
Neumann def.
Hamline 5-3 |
Box Score
7 p.m. -
Oswego State def.
Connecticut College 5-1 |
Box Score
Saturday, December 31
1 p.m. -
Connecticut College tied
Hamline 3-3 (Conn. College won shootout 1-0) |
Box Score
4 p.m. -
Neumann def.
Oswego State 3-0 |
Box Score
All-Tournament Team
MVP - Cory Park, Neumann
Ross MacKinnon, Neumann
Taylor Farris, Oswego State
Luke Moodie, Oswego State
Danny Muck, Hamline
Sean Curran, Connecticut College
Tournament Preview
The sixth annual PathFinder Bank/Oswego Hockey Classic brings in teams from around the country competing in one of the most competitive tournaments in Division III. This year’s field features host Oswego State, ranked second in the country, along with Connecticut College of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Neumann University of the ECAC West and Hamline University of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference(MIAC).
Oswego State comes into the tournament with a 9-1-2 overall record and a 6-0-2 SUNYAC record. Oswego State leads the conference at the halfway point with 14 points, one point in front of archrival Plattsburgh, who the Lakers tied, 2-2, in Plattsburgh on Dec. 2. The Lakers have yet to lose at home so far this season at 4-0-1, with the only blemish coming in a 3-3 tie to Morrisville on Nov. 12. Oswego State is led by junior forward and assistant captain Jon Whitelaw and junior forward Paul Rodrigues, who have both compiled 17 points this season. Whitelaw leads the team with six goals, while Rodrigues leads the team with 12 assists.
Sixteen players on the roster have scored at least one goal so far this season and 19 players have recorded at least one point midway through the season. Defensemen have accounted for 10 goals this season, led by junior defenseman Jesse McConney, who has five goals.
Like during last year’s tournament, the Lakers will be without regular starting goaltender Paul Beckwith, who went down with a knee injury in the first period of the season opener and has not seen action since. Junior goaltender Andrew Hare has filled in admirably, recording an 8-1-2 record with a .928 save percentage and a 1.86 goals against average. Hare ranks sixth in goals against average and 12th in save percentage in Division III.
The Laker offense and defense both rank in the top 10. Oswego State averages 4.50 goals per game, ninth best in Division III, and has put up six or more goals five times this season. The Laker defense has limited opponents to a sixth-best 2.08 goals per game, holding its opponents to one goal or less four times this season.
Oswego State’s first round opponent will be the Camels of Connecticut College, a team the Lakers have invited before to their annual tournament. The last time the Lakers played the Camels, Oswego State went on to win the tournament championship. Connecticut College comes in with a 2-6-0 overall record and sit in sixth place in the NESCAC at 2-4-0. The Camels have posted road victories against Trinity and Colby, but have yet to win a game at home this season.
The Camels are led by senior forward Sean Curran, who has compiled 12 points on two goals and a team-leading 10 assists. Sophomore forward Keith Veronesi leads the team in goals with six, accounting for one-third of the team’s goal total.
Sophomore goaltender Mike Petchonka has earned both of the Camels’ wins in net this season, posting a 2-3-0 record with a .884 save percentage and a 3.90 goals against average. Senior goaltender Andrew Margolin has also seen time, appearing in three games and sporting a .733 save percentage and a 6.15 goals against average.
The Lakers will not be the only team in the tournament ranked in the USCHO.com Poll in Division III. The Neumann Knights, currently tied for 11th, come into the tournament with a 7-3-0 overall record and are currently third in the ECAC West at 2-3-0 overall. The Knights have had plenty of experience playing against the SUNYAC this season, compiling a 4-0-0 record against the conference so far this season with two more games remaining against Fredonia and Brockport each. Neumann has swept weekend series from Cortland and Morrisville.
Neumann is led by senior forward Cory Park and sophomore forward Mike Rey, who share the team lead in scoring with 12 points. Park has recorded five goals and seven assists, while Rey leads the team in assists with 11. The Knights boast the fourth-best offense in Division III at 4.90 goals per game. Neumann has recorded two double-digit goal performances this season.
The goaltending situation has been split between seniors Ross MacKinnon and Matt Tendler. MacKinnon has appeared in six games, tallying a 4-2-0 record with a .892 save percentage and a 3.57 goals against average. Tendler has played in five games, recording a 3-1-0 record with a .889 save percentage and a 2.96 goals against average.
Facing the Knights in the first game of the tournament is this year’s West representative, Hamline. The Pipers come in with a 5-6-0 overall record and are tied for fourth at 3-3-0 in the MIAC, and will have played Milwaukee School of Engineering on Dec. 16. Hamline is led by senior forwards Brian Arrigoni and Jordan VanGilder, who each have tallied 12 points this season. Arrigoni leads the team with six goals and VanGilder leads the team with nine assists.
Senior goaltender Beau Christian will likely get the start between the pipes for the Pipers. Christian has played in 10 games this season, compiling a 5-5-0 record with a .874 save percentage and a 3.71 goals against average.
Hamline, a NCAA Tournament qualifier last season, comes into the Pathfinder Tournament having lost three straight games, two of which have come in overtime. The Pipers have struggled on the road this season, winning just once in five attempts outside the Vadnais Heights Sports Complex.
