The No. 3/3 Oswego State hockey team hosts a pair of games this weekend at the Marano Campus Center Arena.
At 7 p.m. on Friday night, the Lakers welcome Fredonia to campus for Pride Night before bringing Buffalo State in at the same time on Saturday for Teal Night.
Pride Night involves the Lakers promoting the inclusion and participation in sports by LGBTQ athletes. Fans are encouraged to wear rainbow, tie-dye or Pride Alliance apparel, and those that do will be entered into a raffle. Pride Alliance will also have a table within the rink with t-shirts for fans to wear and support the cause.
For Saturday's Teal Night, fans are encouraged to wear teal in an effort to raise awareness for ovarian cancer. If you are lacking teal in your wardrobe, 2,000 teal t-shirts will be handed out at the entrance to the arena on Saturday. Several community members, organizations and businesses donated to the cause in order to attain the t-shirts. Much like those in attendance, the men's ice hockey team will be wearing its teal jerseys as well. A game-worn teal jersey, from the player of the winner's choice, will be raffled off at the Teal Gate event that is taking place from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Hearth Lounge and Food Activity Court in the Marano Campus Center. The Teal Gate will also include games (i.e. Cornhole, Score-O), face painting, temporary tattoos and teal merchandise.
The cause is very close to the men's ice hockey program, as head coach Ed Gosek's wife Mary – an alumnae and 34-year employee at Oswego State – passed away from the disease in June of 2017. Mary dedicated her final years to combatting ovarian cancer in any way she could, including founding Peaceful Remedies and becoming president of the Oswego Chapter of Hope for Heather. In order to honor Mary's boisterous personality, the Lakers ask fans to partake in their twist on a moment of silence called "Mary's Minute." For the first minute of each period on Saturday, fans are asked to cheer loudly in honor of Mary.
Oswego has faced both teams already during the 2018-19 campaign, losing a tight battle 3-2 at Fredonia before rebounding the next night with a 4-1 victory over the Bengals. At Fredonia, the Lakers erased a two-goal deficit but a third-period Blue Devil tally was the difference. Fredonia has won its last two games versus the Lakers following a 10-game Oswego winning streak straight that spanned five seasons. Oswego owns the all-time series 46-28-4.
In the game at Buffalo State, the Lakers scored in all three periods, including two power-play notches. Oswego is riding a five-game winning streak against the Bengals and has an impressive 47-3-5 all-time series record versus its SUNYAC foe.
Tickets are currently available online at tickets.oswego.edu, by calling the box office at 315-312-3073 or by visiting the box office during its hours of operation. Students are encouraged to collect their free ticket for hockey games through the online portal for an easier and quicker process.
