Ed Gosek on Whiteout Rivalry: “It’s One of the Greatest Rivalries in College Hockey”
Oswego, NY – “At our level, the Plattsburgh/Oswego rivalry, everybody knows about it.”
That’s what now former Oswego State Lakers head coach Ed Gosek had to say on the Oswego Sports Now podcast last Friday. In a podcast that covered all that he had to say about his retirement and his tenure at Oswego, the eternal rivalry between them and the Plattsburgh State Cardinals had to come up at some point.
“Their fans love to hate us when we go there”
And they would. In the 65 rivalry games that have been played during Gosek’s tenure as head coach, he went 31-29-5, a winning record thanks to the 5 straight win streak the Lakers have gone on since November of 2024. Of the 30 games played at the Ronald B. Stafford arena up north, Gosek went 14-13-3, another winning record. Since the 2023-24 season, the Lakers have won 7 of their last 8 matchups with the Cardinals.
His success is even greater at home. When Plattsburgh came down to the shores of Lake Ontario, he went 17-16-2, again bolstered by recent victories. In his pride and joy, the Deborah F. Stanley Arena, he went 15-11-2 since its first rivalry game in February of 2007. In the 20 Whiteout home games he’s coached, he’s gone 10-7-3, not losing a single Whiteout regular season game since 2018.
Gosek also gave time to recognize the many traditions that come with the Oswego vs. Plattsburgh rivalry.
“Them throwing thousands of tennis balls on the ice, grapefruits, apples, oranges, you name it, lemons, at us… and then Plattsburgh coming here and us throwing thousands of bagels at them at Romney Field House.”
Such traditions hold a special place in the hearts of alumni on both sides, even though they’ve largely fallen by the wayside. Still, Gosek had to give some credit to former Oswego Athletic Director Tim Hale for changing those traditions into what we know today.
“I’ll give him credit on changing it all and turning it into the Whiteout. I think from our standpoint it’s been a very positive move… it’s maintained its significance.”
While today’s Lakers don’t throw bagels like they used to, Plattsburgh has tried to keep the tradition of the tennis balls alive in one form or another. These days they hold their “Stress Ball Night” during Oswego games, where they hand out red tennis ball-sized stress balls for students and patrons to chuck onto the ice after the first Cardinal goal. Gosek had to give their staff credit for their efforts.
“They’re doing a good job of it, Coach Moffat and Coach Emery.”
With legendary, decades-long coaches like Ed Gosek and Bob Emery having stepped away from the bench, a new era of the Oswego vs. Plattsburgh rivalry has fully dawned on the SUNYAC. And with new contenders like Hobart and Skidmore in the mix, the days of the SUNYAC belonging to Oswego and Plattsburgh may be numbered. But no matter who it is at the top, the half-century old rivalry between Oswego and Plattsburgh will always remain.