Lakers Unable to Hold Early Leads in Semifinal
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ELMIRA, N.Y. – The third-seeded Oswego State women’s ice hockey team (19-7-1) ended its season with a strong effort against the second-ranked team in the nation, Plattsburgh (22-2-2), falling 4-2 in the ECAC West semifinal on Saturday night in Elmira College’s Murray Athletic Center Ice Arena.
Oswego owned two different leads in each of the first two periods, starting with a 1-0 advantage just 4:25 into the contest. Alyssa Brockmann found the Lakers’ leading-scorer, Olivia Ellis, for a score less than five minutes from the opening faceoff. The Ellis goal gave Oswego its first lead against perennial-power Plattsburgh since Feb. 20, 2010, in which the Lakers nearly knocked off the then top-ranked Cardinals, losing 3-2 in the Campus Center Arena.
Plattsburgh was able to even the score before the first break, but it would not take long for Ellis to make her presence felt again. The freshman needed just 1:13 after coming back on the ice for the second period, to give Oswego its second advantage of the contest with an unassisted goal. A Wilcox, Sask. native, Ellis’ multi-tally game was the third of her career.
The Cardinals notched the equalizer 3:07 later and then added the eventual game-winner at 7:53 of the second. Plattsburgh would also score an insurance goal with under 20 seconds remaining in the period, entering the final intermission with a 4-2 edge that would hold through the rest of the game.
Oswego’s lone senior, Bridget Smith, showed her unmatched prowess in net one-last time, turning away 48 Plattsburgh shots on the night. Those 48 saves was a new season-high for the Hamburg, N.Y. native, missing her career-best outing by just seven when Smith made 55 stops against Elmira as a sophomore.
The Lakers’ season comes to a close after setting several new program records during the year, including overall wins (19) and conference victories (12).
