Lakers Advance to First Championship
Oswego, N.Y. — With a dominant win against Buffalo State last weekend, the Lakers Women’s Ice Hockey team has advanced to the inaugural championship game of the newly formed North East Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL). It is the first championship game for the Oswego State women.
The Lakers are set to take on the Plattsburgh Cardinals, the number two ranked team in the country.
Oswego’s record vs. the Cardinals is a paltry 1-29-1 — their only win coming last year. This year, Oswego secured its first non-loss at home to Plattsburgh after a dramatic last second equalizer from Victoria Blake, her only goal of the year.
The tie, while historic, was deeply unsatisfying for many Lakers including the game’s hero, Blake.
“I still felt disappointed because we rallied and we felt that we could have gotten the win. It could have been a win, but it wasn’t,” Blake said.
Despite the record, head coach Diane Dillon is optimistic about the Lakers chances in their 5th attempt to defeat Plattsburgh this year.
“We’re playing our best hockey now and into the playoffs,” Dillon said. “Your best players have to be your best players and they’ve really rose to the occasion.”
This season, the Lakers saw Captain Olivia Ellis and Andrea Noss climb into the number one and two spots respectively on the all time points leaderboard for the program. Oswego also populated the podium for end-of-season awards. Ellis along with teammates Kate Randazzo and goaltender Mariah Madrigal were named to the All-NEWHL First Team.
A year of unprecedented success for the Lakers culminates on Saturday in Plattsburgh.