Cardiac Kids Do It Again! Oswego Beats Bowdin

For the third time since the 2008-09 season the Oswego State Men's Hockey team kicked off the NCAA Tournament against the Bowdin Polar Bears. Oswego had taken the first two meetings and was looking to do it again. This meeting was a little different than the prior two because this one was delayed a day due to bad weather. Oawego couldn't hold a lead, had to play come from behind hockey and still managed to pull off a 4-3 win and advance in the NCAA tournament.

The opening period saw neither team find the back of the net, with Bowdin outshooting the Lakers 13-11. To the middle frame we go, with Oswego getting on the board first, thanks to Alex Botten's 9th of the year at the 6:04 mark. Bowdin wouldn't go away quietly as at the 18:57 mark Jay Livermore scored his 4th of the year to get the game even.3

Both teams emerged from the locker room for the 3rd trying to break the tie score. Bowdin got the early jump, scoring twice before the halfway point of the period. The Polar Bears took the lead at the 3:46 mark when Matt Rubinoff scored his 13th of the year. Bowdin would increase their lead to two thanks to Harry Matheson's 8th of the year at 6:32.

Following the 3rd Bowdin goal, Oswego Coach Ed Gosek called his timeout. This got Oswego fired up, and the comeback was on. At the 8:21 mark of the period, Laker captain David Titanic scored his 9th of the year to cut the deficit to just one. Oswego then pulled even at the 8:59 mark when Mike Montagna scored his 12th of the season. Both teams got their chances but the game remained deadlocked at three. Then all of a sudden Oswego got an odd man rush which saw David Titanic send a beautiful pass to Alex Botten for his 2nd of the day and 10th of the year, giving the Lakers a 4-3 lead with 2:20 left. The defense would hold tight and Oswego would come away with the victory, advancing to the next round of the tournament.

Max Fenkell took the loss for Bowdin, dropping his record to 8-3-2 on the year, as he stopped 32 of the 36 shots he faced. Matt Zawadzki picked up the win for the Lakers, improving his record to 14-2-2 on the year, as he stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced. Neither team was able to connect on their powerplays, Bowdin going 0 for 3 and Oswego going 0 for 4.

That's been somewhat of a staple for Oswego hockey over the years, always finding a way to pull off a big comeback late in hockey games. Not sure what exactly it is but this program always finds a way to get it done late in hockey games. There's just some magic in the air, especially around playoff time.

With the win Oswego advances in the Tournament, now having to head out on the road. Next up for Oswego is round two of the tournament as they travel to Babson Skating Center in Babson Park, Massachusetts to take on the Babson Beavers. Puck drop is set for Sunday March 16th at 3PM!

(Photo Provided by Oswego State Athletics)