OSWEGO, NY – The Utica College men’s hockey team lost to host Oswego State 4-2 in non-conference action at Marano Campus Center Arena on Friday night. The Pioneers fell into a 4-1 hole by the second period, and could not find its way back, as the Lakers avenged last Friday’s 0-0 tie against the Pioneers at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Utica (8-5-2) looks to snap a two-game slide on the road Saturday when it travels to Potsdam State for a non-conference contest at 7 p.m. Oswego will be back in action at 7 p.m. next Friday as it hosts Geneseo for a critical SUNYAC Conference contest.
Both teams were held scoreless through 16 minutes in the first period of play until the host Lakers got on the board at the 16:37 marker. It was an Andrew Barton goal that got the ball rolling for Oswego, as the senior scored with 3:33 left in the first period. Mitchell Herlihey set up the play with a stretch pass to Kenny Neil. Neil then played a perfect puck across the goal mouth that Barton easily sent in. Just over two minutes later, the Lakers struck again as Neil found the back of the net. On the power-play, Herlihey fed a pass to Chris Raguseo on the blue line. Raguseo sent it in and Neil connected on a rebound to put the Lakers up 2-0 going into the first intermission.
Utica cut the lead to one goal early in the second, when sophomore Kevin Valenti (Queensbury, NY/Northern Cyclones (EHL)) netted his second of the year, assisted by Trent Samuels-Thomas (West Hartford, CT/Omaha (USHL)) and freshman Hayden Hanson (Chagrin Falls, OH/Lonestar (NAHL)), to make it a one goal contest 57 seconds into the period.
Oswego answered back as Neil picked up his second of the night 5:57 into the period to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead. Herlihey gained the zone and fed the puck to Barton who was skating parallel with him in the high slot. He eased the puck to Neil, who backhanded it over Utica goalie Michael Fredrick (Lethbridge, Alberta/Brooks Bandits (AJHL)).
Oswego’s Chris Waterstreet would record the fourth Oswego goal of the night (and second on the power-play) at the 9:28 mark of the second, pushing a wide Stephen Johnson shot past Fredrick. Fredrick finished the night with 33 saves in net for the Pioneers.
Oswego skated into the third and final period with a 4-1 advantage. In the third, Utica would score one on the power-play, from the stick of freshman Justin Derlago (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Selkirk (MJHL)), to make it a 4-2 game with 10:07 left in regulation. Anthony McVeigh (Kemptville, Ontario/Carleton Place (CCHL)) registered the assist for the second Pioneer goal. All three of Derlago’s goals this season have come on the power-play.
UC went on to pull its goalie with 2:20 left, but Oswego stood strong, producing the two goal victory.
The Lakers two power-play goals on the night were scored against the nation’s top penalty kill, which had only let in three prior all season.
Matt Zawadzki got the call in net for Oswego, stopping 31 of the Pioneer’s shots.
