OSWEGO, N.Y. – The second-seeded Oswego State men’s ice hockey team blanked No. 5 Buffalo State 2-0 in the SUNYAC Championship semifinal on Saturday night at the Marano Campus Center Arena. Oswego’s win pushes the squad into its fourth-straight SUNYAC Championship title game appearance with an 18-3-4 overall record. The championship game will be played at No. 1 Plattsburgh at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Strafford Arena.
Tickets for the finale with the Cardinals will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday for students and season-ticket holders. SUNYAC students can get one free ticket with valid ID by visiting the Marano Campus Center Box Office. Season-ticket holders can purchase tickets by calling 315-312-3073 only. If any tickets are remaining after Thursday’s sales, they will be opened up to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Brandon Adams got Oswego on the board early as he received a pass from Chris Waterstreet and glided into his offensive zone. The junior tried to beat Buffalo State’s Mike DeLaVergne low, but the goaltender used his pad to turn the shot away. Adams was not discouraged, however, rebounding the save and flipping the puck high into the back of the net. The goal came at 5:43 with assists credited to Waterstreet and Mike Wills.
Adams was at it again in the middle period, reaping the benefits of a pass from Stephen Johnson that deflected off a Bengal skate and right to Adams stick. The Prospect Heights, Ill. native came across the blue line to the goalie’s right and ripped a shot that caromed off the right post and in at 5:18.
Both teams went scoreless in the third to arrive at the final score of 2-0. Matt Zawadzki made several key saves down the stretch, turning away 21 shots in total on his way to a victory. The win was Zawadzki’s 11th of the season and the shutout was the goalie’s XX of the year.
As a team, Oswego dominated many of the statistical categories, including shots (43-21) and faceoffs (40-27. The Lakers’ penalty-kill unit was on point as well, allowing no damage on five Buffalo State power-plays.
