At the end of last season, five key players departed from the team due to graduation. Stud netminder Paul Beckwith, defenseman Jarred Anderson and Hank Van Boxmeer, and forwards Ian Boots and Captain Andrew Mather are all gone from the team due to graduation and there are going to be some big skates to fill. Replacing Mather as Captain is going to be senior Jon Whitelaw, who last year joined the Laker 100 point club. With his great playmaking ability and his strong hockey sense and leadership skills, Whitelaw is the perfect fit to captain this team on the ice. Joining him will be new alternate captain Chris Brown. Brown put up terrific offensive numbers last season and will be relied on greatly to help Whitelaw lead this team on the ice.
With the loss of Boots and Mather up front, some of the players are going to have to step their game up. Two guys who will be looked upon to help carry the scoring load are Whitelaw's usual linemates in Luke Moodie and Paul Rodrigues. Both guys have been lethal on the ice, especially when paired with Whitelaw they were almost unstoppable. There is a good chance that both Moodie and Rodrigues could join Whitelaw and become the 49th and 50th members of the 100 point club. Moodie currently sits at 88 career points on 41 goals and 47 assists, and Rodrigues is right behind him with 87 points on 34 goals and 53 assists. So the 100 point club will have two new members by years end guarenteed.
Another big name forward to watch out for this year will be Tyler Leimbrock. Leimbrock has proven in the past he can score big goals when needed, as evident in his team-leading four game-winning goals a season ago. It appears Leimbrock could be setting himself up as the teams second line center right behind Whitelaw. Chris Ayotte and Chris Muise also had breakout campaigns in 2011-12, with both players recording more than 20 points. Ayotte established a spot on the power-play unit with a strong slap shot, while Muise is a key member of the penalty-kill unit. Matt Singleton brings a physical presence and grittiness to the ice that provides a tangible energy for the squad.
And that's just what the seniors can bring up front to this years team. There's going to be plenty of talent and support coming from underclassmen, who will be seeing more playing time then in years past. Kyle Badham and David Titanic saw extensive ice time as sophomores and look to become even greater offensive and special-team contributors. Sophomores RJay Berra, Chris Carr, Eli Kim-Swallow, and Peter Rodrigues played in limited roles as freshmen, but they will be called upon more this year as more ice time has opened up. Each guy can make an impact on this hockey club, and given time they will all find a role to play on this team.
The blueline has seen a slight makeover this year with the departure of Anderson and Van Boxmeer. Anderson had a calming influence on the back line and Hank brought a cannon of a shot to the powerplay. Both elements will missed. Zach Josepher had a good year in his first season in Oswego, and he will more than likely be counted on to quarterback the powerplay from the point. Jesse McConney will also be taking on a bigger role on the blueline as well. Same thing can be said about Taylor Farris and Tim Carr who have been a brick wall on the line the last few years. Both guys may not put up the huge offensive numbers, but that's not what they are here to do. They are here to help shut the opposition down and they will be relied upon again this year for the same thing. Nick Rivait and Bobby Gertsakis will see their playing time increased this year and are going to make an impact. Finally rounding out the defenseive crop will be Denton King, who joins the club after playing with the Jersey Hitmen last year. King will bring another physical presence to the blueline which will have opponents thinking twice before trying to get off a scoring chance in Oswego territory.
Finally theres a look at goaltending, Dan Jones and Andrew Hare where outstanding last year in the absence of Paul Beckwith, who spent almost all of last year out with an injury. Hare and Jones could be splitting playing time between the pipes again this season, and will have some competition from new freshman goalie Justin Gilbert. Gilbert played last year for the Kingston Voyers and put up solid numbers, so look for him to keep Jones and Hare on top of their games for the entire season.
The season starts when the Lakers face the USA Under-18 National Development Team for the first time since 2008 when the USA prevailed in a 4-3 overtime decision. Oswego State will be at home for the bulk of the 2012 portion of the schedule, including the annual White-Out Weekend contests against Potsdam and Plattsburgh on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The final home game of the regular season will take place on Friday, February 1 against Morrisville when the Lakers honor their 14 seniors. Another home game worth note is saturday January 12 against Nazareth. Its not only the first game in Oswego for Naz, it also marks the return home of Naz head coach George Roll. George was the coach of the Lakers 1997-2003. Other non-conference games of note see Oswego playing Elmira, Utica, Hamilton and Hobart as well as the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic, which this year includes Plymouth State, Castelton Stat and Lawrence. NCAA competition is slated to begin Wednesday, March 6 with the Frozen Four taking place once again in Lake Placid on March 15-16.
Several significant milestones are also in sight as the program needs four wins to reach 800 total wins, while Coach Gosek needs 13 wins to become the 22nd active Division III coach to reach 200 career wins.
This year is going to be a highly entertaining one for your Oswego state Lakers, and the team is primed and ready for another deep run into the NCAA Tournament!
(Photo and some parts of the story provided by the Oswego State Sports Information Department)
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