It's SUNYAC Championship time for the Oswego State men's ice hockey team, who will have a first round bye on Wednesday before hosting a semifinal on Saturday.
The Lakers are looking for their first SUNYAC Championship title since 2014 and its 11th overall.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. semifinal on Saturday will be made available to the general public at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The price of a ticket is $8. Students from SUNYAC-member schools are able to get one complimentary ticket – until the allotted number of student tickets are sold out – with a valid college ID, which started at 10 a.m. on Monday. Students are encouraged to collect their free ticket for hockey games through the online portal for an easier and quicker process. Tickets are available by visiting the Marano Campus Center Box Office, by visiting tickets.oswego.edu or by calling (315) 312-3073.
Oswego is ranked No. 5 in both national polls, while also holding the No. 4 spot in the PairWise rankings, which determine at-large bids to the NCAA Championship. More information about the rankings can be found here: PAIRWISE INFORMATION.
There are three possible matchups for Saturday night's semifinal. The Lakers will play host to Plattsburgh if they defeat Brockport, or the winner of Buffalo State vs. Fredonia if the Golden Eagles defeat the Cardinals on Wednesday.
A matchup against Plattsburgh would prove to be the rubber match of the rivalry this season. The Lakers defeated the Cardinals 4-0 on Dec. 8 during Whiteout Weekend. Plattsburgh avenged its loss in both teams' final regular season game this past Saturday, besting Oswego 2-1. Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the Lakers are 13-11-3 against their archrival.
Oswego also has the possibility of playing the Fredonia Blue Devils or the Buffalo State Bengals, who face-off Wednesday night in Buffalo. These are two teams that, like Plattsburgh, have split the season series with the Lakers. The Blue Devils handed Oswego its first SUNYAC loss of the season on Nov. 16, 3-2, before the Lakers responded with a 4-1 win at home. Buffalo State is one of only two teams (the sole SUNYAC foe) who has beaten the Lakers at Marano Campus Center Arena this season. That narrow 6-5 loss followed a 4-1 Oswego victory at Buffalo State on Nov. 17. Historically, Oswego holds a 47-28-4 advantage all-time against Fredonia and a 47-4-5 mark against Buffalo State.
In SUNYAC play, junior Anthony Passero ranks second in assists (17) and third in points (21) among all qualified conference players. Forward Josh Zizek is tied for the lead in conference play with four game-winning goals.
Nationally, the high-powered Laker offense ranks seventh with 4.13 goals per game. They also rank fourth power-play percentage (.269).
The title game of the SUNYAC Championship is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 2 and will be played at the highest-remaining seed's venue.
