OSWEGO, N.Y. (Courtesy of Oswego Sports Information) - For the first time since 2007, the Oswego State men's hockey team will be headed back to the NCAA Division III Tournament after defeating visiting Plattsburgh State, 6-3, for the State University of New York Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday night. The Lakers displayed a balanced attack as six different players scored goals in front of a sold-out crowd at the Campus Center Ice Arena. Oswego State, which earned its eighth conference title overall and first since 2003, improved to 25-2 on the season, while the Cardinals dropped to 18-5-4. BOXSCORE
Paul Rodrigues got the scoring started at the 9:32 mark in the first period when he netted a wrist shot from the left side over the glove of Plattsburgh goaltender Ryan Williams. Luke Moodie and Michael Gilchrist were credited with assists on the goal.
Owen Kelly stretched the lead to two when he scored on a pass from Andrew Mather at 13:26 in the first period. The Lakers would carry their two-goal lead until midway through the second period when the Cardinals ended the shutout bid. Andrew Willock was able to push the puck in the net after a long scramble at 9:17 in the second period. Eric Satim recorded an assist on the play.
Kevin Huinink got Oswego State back on track at 16:11 when he blasted a slap shot from just inside the blue line that beat Williams up high. Mather pushed the score to 4-1 when he fired a wrist shot that beat the Cardinal goaltender stick-side at 18:04 in the second stanza. Mather received a pass from Kelly, switching roles from their combined effort on a first period goal.
Just 22 seconds later, Taylor Farris received a pass from Tyler Leimbrock and took it down the left side before letting go of a wrist shot. The shot trickled between Williams' legs and into the net, making the score 5-1 for Farris first collegiate score.
Momentum continued to be on the side of Oswego State at the start of the third frame when Justin Fox scored 51 seconds in when he took a pass from Chris Laganiere and beat Josh Leis, who had replaced Williams at the start of the third, with a wrist shot over his glove from the middle of the ice. It was the fourth Laker goal in a five-minute span.
Plattsburgh continued to fight late into the game, scoring two goals 2 minutes and 16 seconds apart to bring the lead down to 6-3 with less than three minutes remaining. Eric Satim and Dylan Clarke scored for Plattsburgh, both on power plays, but it would not be enough as Oswego State went on to hoist the championship trophy.
In goal for the Lakers, Kyle Gunn-Taylor registered 35 saves on the night. The Plattsburgh goalies combined for 17 saves, as Williams had nine and Leis had eight.
After the game, the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team was announced. Oswego State's Gunn-Taylor was selected as the top goalie and Tyler Lyon was chosen for play at the blue line. The three forwards chosen were Morrisville's Chris Cerbino, Plattsburgh's Clarke and Oswego State's Tyler Leimbrock.
Oswego State's Huinink was named the SUNYAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, after recording two goals and an assist in two Laker games and a +5 rating.
With the win, the Lakers avenged last year's defeat in the title game against the Cardinals, who had won the previous two conference championships as part of a SUNYAC-record 19 trophies. This was the team's third win against the Cardinals this season, as they swept the regular-season series.
Oswego State will await word from the NCAA Selection Committee on when and where it will play when the national tournament bracket is released at NCAA.com on Sunday at 6 p.m. Plattsburgh will wait to see if it receives one of the three at-large bids for the 11-team tournament.
