Loss and Tie Sinks Opening Weekend for Oswego Women's Hockey

The year didn't go off to as flying a start as the Oswego State Women's Hockey team would have wanted. It was an opening weekend series against Castleton and New England College, with both games being on the road. First up was Castelton State at Castelton. Oswego ended up on the wrong end of this decision, which ended in a 3-0 Castelton victory. Freshman Tori Trovato got the start in net for Oswego and made 28 saves on 32 Castelton shots. As for her counterpart Paula Stephens stopped all 28 Oswego shots. Oswego had two full lines two full defense pairs and one extra forward dressed for the game. Oswego was able to generate 28 shots on Castelton but with only two lines I feel it wasn't as effective as it had been the last two seasons.

So after a rough opening night against Castelton it was on to an afternoon game against New England College in New Hampshire. This time the Lakers offense showed up and was able to skate away with a 1-1 tie. Rachel Vigliano got New England on the board 6:09 into the hockey game. But Oswego was able to fight back and tie the game at 19:45 of the first period thanks to the goal from freshman Lizzy Marks, which was set up by Melissa Seamont and Chelsea Hunt. It was the first points of the year for the three players. That was the only scoring in the hockey game. Lauren Hopps made 21 saves for New England College and Oswego's Bridget Smith stopped 27 shots.

So now that the first two games are in the books, Oswego looks to get its first win of the season. But their next two games are going to be a very tough test, as it is a weekend home and home series with the Utica Pioneers. First game will be this Friday, November 2nd in Utica at 7pm. Game two of the series will be again against Utica on Saturday November 3rd at 7pm from the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego. This series will be another early season test for Oswego as Utica has proven in the past to be a tough opponent for Oswego to handle. As mentioned before, Oswego is going to be playing the entire season with only two full lines, so they are already at a disadvantage. With the schedule being as tough as it is this year, especially having to play teams like Utica, Elmira, and Plattsburgh, Oswego will be in for a dog fight this season to try and make the ECAC West playoffs. Head Coach Diane Dillon will have her hands full with this team, but in following the team the last few years, there's no quit in the team and they will find a way to stay competitive for most of the year.