SUNYAC MEN’S HOCKEY FINAL PREVIEW: #13 OSWEGO STATE LAKERS @ #1 HOBART STATESMEN
The #1 nationally ranked Hobart Statesmen will be looking for their 67th straight home win, as they host the SUNYAC Men’s Hockey Championship game against the #13 nationally ranked Oswego State Lakers this Saturday, March 7th at the Cooler. Oswego hopes to defend their reigning SUNYAC champion status, whereas Hobart aspires to take their first title in their first year in the conference.
The Statesmen have been perfect this season, sitting at an unreal 29-0 record in both the regular season and playoffs. Win or loss, their season is all but confirmed to continue in the Division III tournament.
The Lakers have been right behind the Statesmen, going 16-4 this season. The Lakers look to clinch their spot in the NCAA Division III tournament with a win against Hobart.
The Lakers are second in the SUNYAC on the penalty kill (90.5%) and have registered 111 total goals in 28 regular season games played.
On the road, Oswego has a record of 8-3, with losses coming from Utica, Hobart, and Cortland. In these games, the Lakers gave the opponents 18 opportunities on the power play, which accounted for 21.69% of all power play opportunities against Oswego this season.
Team Notes
Laker-Statesmen Connections
Oswego State Forward Matt McQuade and Hobart Forward Tanner Daniels were teammates in the NAHL during the 21-22 season with the Lone Star Brahmas. In 29 games, McQuade tallied 15 points for the Texas based team, while Daniels 25 points in 50 games played.
Senior Lakers’ Last Ride
For some senior Lakers, this will be their final SUNYAC matchup as undergraduate students. Forwards Connor Gatto, Tommy Bannister, Brett Fudger, and Captain Matt McQuade, Defensemen Jonathan Balah and Drake Semrad, and Goaltender Brandon Milberg will all be graduating at the end of the academic year. During their times here, the senior skaters recorded a total of 243 points, with the senior goaltender finishing his time at Oswego with a .909 save percentage.
Manzi Madness
Projected starter Michael Manzi has appeared in 19 games for the Lakers in his rookie season, stopping 387 shots on 423 attempts. During the SUNYAC playoffs, he has registered a 2.00 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. The Smyrna, Delaware native looks to continue his fantastic freshman year on Saturday against a powerhouse Hobart Statesmen.
Tune into WTOP-10 TV for coverage of the game, pregame show starts at 6:30PM ET. Alternatively, listen to WNYO 88.9 FM’s radio coverage of the game, pregame show starts at 6:30PM ET on Stream 1. To follow along on your phone, check out Oswego Now’s Live Blog!