Oswego vs. Geneseo Preview 11/4

Ice Knights Preview (11/4)

February 3^rd, 2004. This was the last time that the Geneseo State Ice Knights fell to the Oswego Lakers. For all of the history buffs out there, Tyson Gajda was in goal for the victory over Geneseo’s Brett Walker. Over the past three seasons, the Ice Knights have gone 4-1-1 against the Lakers winning exciting games filled with phantom goals, come from behind victories and last minute overtime thrillers. This Saturday night at the Ira is set to be another great match-up as the Lakers roll into town looking to end their four game losing streak against the Ice Knights.

The biggest key for Geneseo is the first period. Over their first four games, the Ice Knights have been outscored 6-0 in the opening frame. Geneseo has continued their habit of trailing early in games which they need to eliminate if they want to succeed in the SUNYAC this season. The Ice Knights need to be prepared to play a full 60 minutes of hockey against the Lakers, which is something that they have failed to do so far this season.

Goaltending in also an obvious factor that will determine who will end up victorious on Saturday night. While Ryan Scott has started off his first four games with victories and has incredible numbers approaching league play, Derek Jokic could easily make or break this game for Geneseo. Despite Scott’s outstanding .933 save percentage and 1.75 goals against average from the first four games, the Ice Knights always seem to find a way to solve him just enough to win. On the other hand, Jokic has been struggling to find his game so far this season and has even been fighting off other goaltenders for playing time (see Richardson last Friday against Neumann). It is obvious that the Ice Knights are Jokic’s team and it was evident the players felt more comfortable with him between the pipes during the Neumann series this past weekend. While this may be the case, Jokic will need to be incredible to help the Ice Knights take down the Lakers for a fifth straight time.

Another big difference between the teams Geneseo has already played this season and Oswego is that the Lakers are so deep offensively. While there is the noticeable presence of senior Ryan Woodward, Oswego also has Mark Lozzi, Brendan McLaughlin and C.J. Thompson at the top of their scoring list. It is also worthy to note that although sophomore Ryan Ellis only has one goal in his first four games this season, he has the capability to put up points for Oswego and is player that Geneseo’s defense will need to keep an eye on. The Ice Knights have yet to take on such a deep team that can churn out goals from practically any line that is sent on the ice.

Finally, this series seems to be matching up size against speed. The Ice Knights have really taken it to their opponents physically in their early games this season which has resulted in a good presence on the ice but a good presence in the penalty box as well. Geneseo should learn from the Oswego/Elmira series last weekend and realize that they need to do more than hit to win this game. Oswego is too fast to be taken out simply by body checking. Defensive positioning will be much more effective against a speedy team than simply gunning for a good check. If the Ice Knights play smart hockey, they could well be on their way to a fifth straight victory against the Lakers, but Oswego has an equally good team that will be looking to capitalize on any mistakes they can to avenge the past two years of frustration. The fans at the Ira will once again be treated to a good one at the Ira this weekend!

With that all being said, it is important for both teams not to overlook their Friday night opponents. Geneseo will need to take out the 3-0 Cortland before battling the Lakers who will travel to Brockport to open up their SUNYAC schedule against the “boring” but gritty Golden Eagles. Both Geneseo and Oswego will have the chance on Friday to carry some momentum over to the big match-up on Saturday night.

Waffle Watch: The games are once again at the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena this weekend which means the waffle watch will be relatively quiet. Good luck finding any breakfast treats if you are attending a D-III hockey game over the next few days.

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