2017-2018 Hockey Guide

INSIDE The Oswegonian

Oct. 21, 2017

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Goalies tasked with new responsibilities

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2017-18 Lakers Player Profiles

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Defensive unit leads young team

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Preview of SUNYAC

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H2 | The Oswegonian

HOCKEY GUIDE

Lakers start fresh in net after two departures

season. He had a 2.43 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 33 games with the Voyageurs. At the time, Richer was not aware that playing in the QMJHL would cost him a year of NCAA eligibility, yet he still made the decision to attend Oswego State and made his best effort to be around the team as much as he was allowed.

“I’ve been around the guys before practice. I was working out while they were on the ice, so I was seeing the guys before and after practice,” Richer said. “It was hard, but I tried to do what I could just to be part of the team, and they did a great job to make me a part of the team even though I didn’t play.”

Going into this season, there is no clear number one goaltender. Gosek is going to let Hansen and Richer’s performance in practice and in the exhibition game against the CCHL All-Graduate team this Saturday determine who is going to start against Elmira next week and so on.

“David’s played zero games, and Taylor Woods | The Oswegonian Cedric’s played part of two, and we Richer will look to win the starting job in net after sitting out for a year due to NCAA restrictions. have a walk-on third goalie now in a great attitude, stayed in shape, never Teddy Nolan who has agreed to come Joe Porpora made excuses and is an outstanding on board,” Gosek said. “As far as a Staff Writer student,” Gosek said. “So, character number one or number two, we’ll base sports@oswegonian.com wise, chemistry wise, we’re excited it upon practice. We’ll base it upon how they do in the exhibition game, with the group that we have.”

Gosek and his staff also added David and that’s the way they want it. They Following David Jacobson’s Richer from the Kingston Voyageurs want to earn what they get.” departure from Oswego State, a new Gosek is hoping that Hansen and of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. crop of goalies are looking to step Richer redshirted last season for the Richer play equally well so they can up and take the number one spot.

Lakers, but was ineligible to play due to have a rotation of two guys they have Jacobson split starts with senior playing for the Sherbrooke Phoenix in confidence in between the pipes. It Matt Zawadzki last season in goal as the QMJHL in the 2012-13 season. NCAA would be similar to the system the a sophomore transfer from Arizona restrictions strongly affected Richer Lakers had last season with Zawadzki State University. He played 17 games and his participation in team activities. and Jacobson. for the Lakers, going 12-3-0 with a “We’re hoping that they’re equal, “I was not allowed to be around the 2.02 goals against average. Jacobson team at all,” Richer said. “I was allowed that they’re both very good and we would have presumably been the man to practice with the team actually two can get into a rotation like last year,” in net this season, but he decided weeks before the season started, and Gosek said. “You need to have two to stop playing hockey and instead guys that are capable. If one currently then I was just by myself.” followed a career path that takes him Richer last played for the Kingston separates himself as a number one, back to his home of Los Angeles.

Voyageurs of the Ontario Junior then, hey, we got a number one and we “It was a difficult decision, but Hockey League in the 2015-2016 have a number two.” he had a career opportunity back in L.A. with something that he’s always wanted to do,” Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said. “We’re happy for him. We hope it works out.”

Jacobson decided to end his hockey career to be involved in the music industry. Gosek said that he is going to be a curator for a hip-hop group in Los Angeles.

“He felt that it was an opportunity that, if he turned it down, he might not get another one,” Gosek said.

With Zawadzki graduating and Jacobson leaving for greener pastures, Cedric Hansen is the only returning Laker goaltender from last season. Hansen played in only two games for Oswego State as the third string last season, totaling 40 minutes of game time. In those games against SUNY Morrisville and SUNY Canton, Hansen stopped all 16 shots he faced.

Taylor Woods | The Oswegonian “Cedric came to practice every day last year, played minimal, had Hansen is the only rostered goaltender for Oswego State men’s hockey with any Div. III experience.

HOCKEY GUIDE

CCHL All-Graduate Team Roster Pos. # Name G 1 G 31 D 5 D 3 D 8 D 15 D 6 D D 7 F 19 F 18 F 12 F 8 F 16 F 10 F 4 F 21 F 17 F 11 F 14 F 9

Ht. Wt.

Jeremie Forget 6-1 170 Liam Lascelle 5-10 162 Andrew Jarvis 5-7 180 Josh Gagne 6-0 195 Corey Tam 5-9 171 Colin Stevens 5-10 190 Alexander Monteleone 6-3 207 *Andrew Froese 6-0 161 Ryan Bunka 5-10 172 Pierre-Luc Veillette 5-9 152 Chiwetin Blacksmith 6-2 192 Dana Engram 5-9 185 Chris Theodore 5-7 175 David Jankowski 6-1 165 Travis Broughman 6-2 185 Kari Belec 6-0 197 Zach Cross 5-11 193 Hadyn Hopkins 5-10 185 Mathieu Blanchette 5-10 175 Tyson Kirkby 6-1 188 *J.D. Pogue 6-0 198

*-Named but unavailable to participate

The Oswegonian | H3

Coaching Staff 2017-18

CCHL Team Carleton Place Canadians Cornwall Colts Brockville Braves Carleton Place Canadians Nepean Raiders Hawkesbury Hawks Cornwall Colts Nepean Raiders Kanata Lasers Ottawa Jr Senators Ottawa Jr Senators Rockland Nationals Cornwall Colts Hawkesbury Hawks Carleton Place Canadians Nepean Raiders Pembroke Lumber Kings Carleton Place Canadians Rockland Nationals Kemptville 73’s Cornwall Colts

Ed Gosek, Head Coach 15th season

288-90-25 record

Two-time SUNYAC Coach of the Year 2007 National Coach of the Year 2007 NCAA Champion After leading Oswego back to the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years, and the eighth in his tenure, Gosek will look to maintain the renewed success he reinstilled in the Lakers last year after a disappointing 2015-16 season. Coming off the loss to Plattsburgh State in the SUNYAC championship and Hamilton College in the first round of the tournament, as well as the loss of 12 seniors, Gosek will be depending on a group of many inexperienced players to fill their shoes.

Mark Digby

Jon Whitelaw

Assistant Coach Eighth Season Brockport Graduate

Graduate Assistant Second Season Oswego Graduate

Former Asst.

Coach, Brockport

Former Grad Asst., SUNY Cortland

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HOCKEY GUIDE

2017-2018 Oswego State Lakers

C

HOCKEY GUIDE

2016-2017Oswego OswegoState StateLakers Lakers 2017-2018

The Oswegonian | H5

H6 | The Oswegonian

HOCKEY GUIDE

Solid defense needed to backstop Lakers

Returning defensive core will be backbone to success this year Cole Parzych Editor-In-Chief cparzych@oswegonian.com Coming into the 2017-2018 men’s hockey season, there are question marks almost entirely down the line for this team. From goal scoring to goaltending, there are valid questions pertaining to the potential success of that specific part of the game or group.

One group that should see more steady success and consistency than others is the defensive core under head coach Ed Gosek and assistant coach Mark Digby this season.

Five defensemen are returning to the roster, including senior Devin Campbell, junior Kristoffer Brun and sophomores Chris MacMillan, Joey Rutkowski and Charlie Pelnik. Of those five, all played nearly regular minutes during the 2016-2017 campaign, aside from Pelnik.

MacMillan was one of four skaters to play in each of the 28 games last year and the only player who was not set to graduate at the end of the season.

He comes into this year primed to be one member of the trio that could be the most reliable on the back end. This trio also includes Brun and Campbell. The highenergy defenseman Rutkowski can be added to that list as well.

He could be a part of the top four this year after displaying his aggressive play and offensive eye for the game during his first year at Oswego State.

Pelnik only appeared in six games while registering 14 penalty minutes. He comes into this season as another question mark on this Laker team, but the once high-profile recruit from Cary, North Carolina, should be given the benefit of the doubt to be a productive, shut-down defender that the team can deploy throughout the season without too much worry.

Newcomers to this defense group includes Carter Allen from the Wellington Dukes, Tyler Currie, transferring from Adrian College, and Max Novick, out of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. With both Brun and Rutkowski coming off surgery in the off-season, these four skaters could see an extra workload in the early going.

“The young guys are going to get experience,” Gosek said.

“I think, in the long run, it’ll pay dividends. They’re going to be

put in some situations that they might not normally get early in the season.”

Allen and Campbell are two defenders Gosek pointed out individually who will be able to carry the load physically throughout the season. In regards to Campbell, Gosek said he can be a player who is one physical presence on the ice, but he alluded to the fact that Campbell needs to stay out of the penalty box. Over the course of the final five games, including postseason play, Campbell was guilty of eight penalties.

As far as the newcomer Allen goes, Gosek was impressed with the shape he is in and his physical style of play during junior hockey.

“I think a kid to watch is Carter

Allen,” Gosek said. “He’s a rookie. He’s a freshman, but we recruited him for a specific reason. It’s not that he’s not a talented kid, but he’s in excellent condition and a physical specimen.

He can play that game, and he’s got the body to play that game.”

With this defense and three goalies on the roster who are relatively inexperienced, it could be a rocky start to the season if things do not click.

“Obviously, the three things we can control are conditioning, our discipline and are we prepared and on the same page,” Gosek said.

“Then it’ll come down to the things that were mentioned earlier: The experience [and] how quickly can our chemistry come together as a team. So, we’re focusing on the things we can control now.”

Isaack Cintron | The Oswegonian

MacMillan (22) will be depended upon to provide valuable minutes this season.

Isaack Cintron | The Oswegonian

Coming off of surgery, Rutkowski will look to maintain his role on the blueline.

Between the three netminders, there is just 39:58 of ice time in Div. III hockey under their belts. All of that time belongs to sophomore goaltender Cedric Hansen in two games he came on in relief. David Richer was redshirted last year, and Teddy Nolan, a walk-on this season, has not played since high school and is currently on the Oswego State lacrosse roster as a goalie as well.

This unknown, in arguably the biggest area of need for any team, all circles back to the coaching staff.

How will they do in preparing their team for the upcoming year?

“So hey, you got a young D core, and you got two untested goalies,” Gosek said. “We’re excited. We’re going to see what kind of coaches we are.”

Laker Quick Hit

Fol lo w i n g t h e 2 0 1 5 - 1 6 s e a s o n that saw them miss out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in six seasons, the Lakers bounced back to finish first in the SUNYAC with 13-2-1 conference record en route to an at-large bid in the

2016-17 Season: 26-6-1

NCAA tournament. After a hot start, Oswego State fizzled out at the end of the season. The Lakers lost the S U NYAC c h a m p i o n s h i p g a m e to rival Plattsburgh State and bowed out in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Hamilton College, with both games taking place on home ice.

The offseason saw the Lakers lose a plethora of talent in the graduating senior class, including major scorers Shawn Hulshof, Matt Galati, Kenny

(13-2-1 vs. SUNYAC)

Going off past experience and coaching resume, there are not many other coaching staffs in Div. III hockey that one would want mentoring an inexperienced team like this.

Oswego State ended the season with the lowest goals allowed per game in the SUNYAC last season at 1.96. The next closest was Buffalo State at 2.33. Those numbers for the Lakers will be tough to replicate on the defensive end, but with a solid core of returners and some promising young skaters joining the defensive group, the Lakers should be able to hold their own and limit mistakes while moving the puck out of their own end and through the neutral zone in games this year.

Projected finishes from SUNYAC.com

Neil and Stephen Johnson. These losses, combined with the exits of goaltenders Matt Zawadzki and David Jacobson, leave Oswego State with little established scoring and goaltending talent. The Lakers will need lesser-known players to step up and fill the roles of last year’s seniors.

Coach Ed Gosek and his staff have their work cut out for them to keep the Lakers at the levels they were able to reach last season.

Projected finish: 3rd of 9

HOCKEY GUIDE

The Oswegonian | H7

SUNYAC Preview The College at Brockport won 11 games for the second straight season and only have three winning seasons since 2006-2007.

A fourth place finish may be a tad 2010-11 Season: 4-18-3 (2-13-1 vs. SUNYAC) high, but the Golden Eagles have a promising freshmen class that includes Ethan and Jeremy Solat.

These brothers both played junior hockey down the road for the Syracuse Stars of the USPHL Premier. Ethan tallied a point per game (19-21-40), while Jeremy added 9 goals and 22 assists in 45 games.

These two could help improve the offense, however, the College at Brockport did score 3.69 goals per game in 2016-2017, good enough for the fifthbest mark in the SUNYAC. The goaltending depth is an area that could take strides forward after Matt Schneider took over the majority of the net share and posted decent numbers (2.70 goals against average and .912 save percentage) behind a lackluster team.

2016-17 Season: 11-14-1

(7-9-0 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 4th of 9

The most undisciplined team in the SUNYAC last season was the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. The penalty killing of the Red Dragons also came in at 73.7 percent, the second worst mark in the conference. The struggles plagued them all season long, as they were on the wrong side of the few blowout games. One standout last season was freshman defensman Aidan Salerno. He took far too many penalties (31), but he can read the play and registered 12 assists. This was his highest point total over the last five seasons, including juniors, so it may be hard for him to repeat that mark, even in a system he fits so well in. Darren McCormick and Tommy Nolan are two forwards who could shoulder the scoring load and help hide any mistakes on the back end.

2016-17 Season: 10-13-2

(6-9-1 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 8th of 9

Stephen Collins has graduated and was invited to the Washington Capitals preseason training camp after leading the SUNYAC with 27 points in 16 conference games last season. The Ice Knights have plenty of skaters who can put the puck in the net, and one duo are not even upperclassmen yet. Conlan Keenan and David Szmyd both sat inside the top 10 in conference points last year and are back for their second season at SUNY Geneseo. Keenan and Collins both led the SUNYAC with 16 goals, and he is poised to surpass his freshman year mark. SUNY Geneseo is solid on the back end as well, posting the third-best goals against per game at 2.62. Only Oswego State and the Buffalo State were better, and Buffalo State had Mike DeLaVergne to thank for that.

2016-17 Season: 17-7-3

(10-5-1 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 1st of 9

The defending SUNYAC champions were able to transform themselves from a team at the basement of the conference during the first half of the seasoninto one of the hottest teams in the country by playoff time. With the graduation of Brady Rouleau, the Cardinals are faced with a lack of experience in net that could potentially be the Achilles’ heel for an otherwise spectacular team.

Keller Kowalowski is the only goaltender on the team with any Div. III practice time, so he will be expected to take over for Rouleau. Junior Cole Stallard has led the team in scoring for the last two seasons and will be expected to pace the team in the points column once again. Players like standout senior defenseman Ayrton Valente, Joe Drabin and Ross Sloan should prove to have the ability to pick up for the loss of Rouleau.

2016-17 Season: 20-4-3

(12-1-3 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 2nd of 9

Projected finishes from SUNYAC.com

Losing arguably the best goaltender in the conference is a tough pill to swallow, but the Bengals will have to make do without the services of Mike DeLaVergne. Losing your best player sets back any program, but having a promising sophomore class help lighten that load. Buffalo State will have last year’s rookies on the ice with a year of seasoning. This list includes the team’s leading scorer Anthony Passero, along with Zach Remers, Hugo Petit and Michael Anthony Guerrera, among others. The most notable skater not returning is Roberts Šmits. The Latvianborn skater is not returning to the team this season after scoring five goals and tallying 11 helpers for a 16-point rookie campaign. The success of this team will largely come based on the production they get from the defense and goaltenders again, but with a new starting goalie, the forward group will need to do a little more scoring to improve upon the eighth best offense in the SUNYAC last season.

2016-17 Season: 18-8-1

(9-6-1 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 6th of 9

The Blue Devils were good enough one season ago to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. They came in as the No. 5 seed and hung with the defensive-minded Buffalo State team, falling 2-1 after 60 minutes. SUNY Fredonia is projected to make the playoffs for the second-consecutive year, something they have not done since the 2013 and 2014 SUNYAC playoffs.

The Blue Devils rolled out a very mediocre even strength offense a season ago, but while up a man they were effective, scoring on 23.9 percent of their power play opportunities.

An above average penalty kill also aided in their return to the postseason. The Blue Devils have the personnel to again advance past the regular season, but will need another year of consistently winning the special teams battle if they want to make the cut.

2016-17 Season: 13-11-2

(7-8-1 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 5th of 9

With another year being projected to finish last in the SUNYAC, the Mustangs will need to surprise some people again if they want to finally reach postseason play. The Mustangs had some success last year with big wins over No. 4 SUNY Geneseo, No. 10 Utica and a 5-5 tie with No. 9 University of Massachusetts Boston. This team even had the game tied against Oswego State early in the middle period last season during their Dec. 2 meeting. Morrisville State had three skaters finish in the top 10 in conference scoring, but only one will be returning. CJ Stubbs, now a junior will need to carry the scoring load and hope a few new faces emrge as legitamte scoring threats if the Mustangs want to build on last year’s surprising stretch.

2016-17 Season: 5-16-4

(4-9-3 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 9th of 9

The SUNY Potsdam Bears finished dead last in the SUNYAC last season with a dismal 1-14-1 record in conference play. Earning just three conference points in 16 games played had them looking up at the rest of the conference, even Morrisville State, who finished eight points above the Bears in the SUNYAC with 11.

SUNY Potsdam also ended the conference play with a conference worst -43 goal differential and a power play with a success rate of 12.2 percent. Dylan Vander Esch, a captain on the Bears this year, was the only player to finish with a double-digit goal total (15) in 2016-2017, which placed him in a tie for 37th in the conference. Expect a jump in point production from the senior, but only having limited reliable scoring options up front should limit the Bears’ chances of pushing for one of the six playoff spots come February.

2016-17 Season: 6-17-2

(1-14-1 vs. SUNYAC)

Projected finish: 7th of 9