Five members of the No. 2/2 Oswego State men's ice hockey team have been selected for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) All-Conference team, voted by league coaches and released by the league office on Thursday afternoon.
Defender Stephen Johnson was named to the All-Conference First Team, while being named Defensive Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Kenny Neil and Shawn Hulshof were also named to the All-SUNYAC First Team. Goalie Matt Zawadzki was tabbed as a second team honoree and Chris Raguseo received third team recognition.
Johnson has played a major presence on the backline during the year for the nationally-ranked Lakers, leading the conference in overall plus/minus with a plus-28 rating. The Mississauga, Ont. native topped all defenders in the league in shots taken (70) and points scored (30). He also blocked a team-leading 14 shots during the season.
Forwards Hulshof and Neil led one of the most efficient offenses in the nation. The duo ranked 1-2 in the conference in plus/minus rating, alongside three other Lakers, which round out the top five.
Neil scored a team-leading 17 goals and topped the conference with 40 points tallied. The Clarenville, New Foundland and Labrador native places ninth nationally in points per game (1.6), while coming in at No. 15 in power play goals (7.0) and No. 17 in goals per game (0.68).
For the season, Hulshof finished third in points (35) and second in assists (25) in the SUNYAC. Nationwide, the Stouffville, Ont. native joins Neil, ranking in several categories. Hulshof is slated at No. 21 for points per game (1.4), while rising 10 spots in assists per game (1.0).
Between the pipes, Zawadzki had another impressive season. The senior goalie maintained a 1.71 goals-against-average to lead the league, while making 198 saves en route to an 8-2 record. Zawadzki also broke the Oswego State men's ice hockey program record for career shutouts by notching his 12th in a 6-0 win over Potsdam on Nov. 18. The Fort Mill, S.C. native surpassed Andrew Hare's 11 – which he accumulated between 2010-13 – to take over the lead, before adding another later in the season at Nazareth on Jan. 13.
Joining Johnson on the defensive line during the season and also garnering conference recognition was Raguseo. After scoring 16 points – three goals and 13 assists – he tied for fifth in the league among defensemen in the category, while ranking fourth in efficiency at plus-20. The senior captain also notched a game-winning goal in 5-1 win at Brockport on Nov. 4 and has blocked 13 shots during the year.
No. 2/2 Oswego will host No. 13/14 Buffalo State at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the SUNYAC Championship semifinals. The winner of the Lakers and Bengals will face the winner of No. 10/10 Geneseo and No. 15 Plattsburgh in the conference title game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.
