2014 MLB Season Preview

The time has arrived! Major League Baseball is set to kick off the 2014 regular season, which has many fans fired up for some baseball. Last season we saw a lot of changes in the game. The Pittsburgh Pirates had a winning season and made the playoffs for the first time in over twenty years. The Boston Red Sox won the World Series, after coming in last place the year before. The Cleveland Indians made the playoffs after having a down year the year before. We saw so much exciting baseball a season ago, which kept fans on the edge of their seats all season long. This year could be just as exciting as last year, if not more so. There were a lot of changes made around the league, with the new rule changes regarding instant replay and the new rule for collisions at the plate, which will be interesting to see implemented during the year. We have also seen a few faces in new places from the end of last year to the start of this year.

So with all that in mind, we will now break down each and every division in the big leagues. We will predict who will finish where and with how many wins per division. So here we go and we start it off with the Western Divisions.

AL West:
1. Oakland Athletics 90-72
Oakland still always finds a way to win, despite not having a huge payroll. The A's have won 90+ games and the AL West each of the last two years and are poised to do it again this season. Sure the West has gotten better in the offseason, and Oakland's starting pitching isn't as great as it was a year ago. Bartolo Colón is gone, injuries to starting pitchers Jarrod Parker (Tommy John surgery) and A.J. Griffin (elbow tendinitis) will hurt Oakland a bit this year. There isn't much depth in the pitching rotation for Oakland and their young arms in the system aren't quite big league ready yet. Still, Oakland has a deep, talented, well-balanced lineup and one of baseball's premier bullpens, which will be more than enough to get them back to the top of the mountain.

2. Los Angeles Angels 86-76
Los Angeles is coming off a down year last year, finishing under .500 and in 3rd in the West. Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton both had off years, by their standards. Both guys are relatively healthy and motivated to prove that last year was a fluke. Sure they are getting older, but they still want to prove they have stuff left in the tank. Furthermore, Mike Trout remains baseball's best all-around player, one that is still years away from hitting the prime years of his career. The pitching staff for the Angels is going to be improved. Garrett Richards and Hector Santiago have looked great this spring and will help round out the back end of the rotation. The pitching staff might be able to keep LA in this with Oakland, but lack of depth is a bit of an issue. If somebody gets hurt for the Angels, the team is going to be in trouble. Still the Angels are good enough to be a force in the West once again.

3. Texas Rangers 85-77
Texas has taken a bit of a hit in the offseason. they lost Nelson Cruz to free agency and Ian Kinsler in a trade. But they brought in Prince Fielder, brought up Jurickson Profar to play 2nd and will have Alex Rios replace Cruz in right field. So scoring runs won't be a problem for the Rangers this season. Filedr could have a big year being in a hitters park at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Much like some other teams in the league, the Rangers are going to have questions about pitching. Behind Yu Darvish and Martin Perez, there isn't much. Matt Harrison and Derek Holland are expected to return to action at some point and bolster the group, the damage may have already been done to the team's playoff hopes. Pitching may hurt the Rangers and keep them out.

4. Seattle Mariners 78-84
Seattle has made improvements to their baseball club from a year ago. They landed the biggest fish in the pool in Robinson Cano, got another solid bat in Corey Hart but that's about it to add to the offense. Sure Dustin Ackley and Brad Miller have looked good in spring training, but there is no way to tell if they can keep it consistent over the course of the regular season. The Mariners strength is supposed to be their starting rotation, but with injuries to Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker, while not believed to be serious, are a concern. The Mariners are going to be a better team, but they still don't have enough talent around Cano to be a contender in the American League.

5. Houston Astros 63-99
Houston has been near the bottom of divisions for a while now. They have started to get a little bit better. Astos fans can expect to see a new wave of talent that the team has stockpiled as part of its rebuilding process—including Jonathan Singleton and George Springer—by the middle of the summer the latest. But the rest of the AL West has improved, meaning that its going to be another long season for the Astros and their fans.

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers 91-71
The Dodgers are still light years ahead of everybody else in the West. The only position on this roster that looks like even a remote question mark is 2nd base. Alex Guerrero, thier top prospect at that position, will start down in Triple A so it looks like Justin Turner and converted shortstop Dee Gordon will be splitting time there. Aside from that, Los Angeles has a stacked ball club, almost in a class by themselves. LA's pitching staff, lead by Clayton Kershaw, is fully loaded. The Dodgers should have no problem taking home their 2nd straight West title.

2. San Francisco Giants 86-76
The pitching staff for the Giants has never been a question. Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong are a top flight pitching staff that can ALMOST come close to rivaling that of the Dodgers. The question here is going to be run support for that stellar pitching staff. A season ago it wasn't enough and the Giants finished under .500. This year it appears to be a different story. Buster Posey seemed to be primed of a big season. He isn't alone has he has a decent supporting cast with the likes of Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Crawford, Angel Pagan, Hunter Pence and others. All things considered, the Giants will be back in the playoff hunt again this season.

3. San Diego Padres 82-80
Last year was a down year for San Diego, finishing under .500 again. This year will be a little bit of a different story. San Diego has the same lineup they had from last year, even thought Cameron Maybin and Josh Johnson are dealing with injuries at the moment. Even with those injuries, it looks as if the Padres have the depth needed to replace them in the lineup and rotation, respectively, if neither one is able to go on Opening Day. This team has a decent set of talent on the roster, to go along with young guys like Tommy Medica and Matt Wisler waiting in the wings to step up and contribute if needed, San Diego has a bright future. Only problem is they play in a top heavy division at the moment and they will fall short of the playoffs.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks 76-86
A season ago the Diamondbacks were a .500 baseball team. Paul Goldschmit had a monster year and is poised to do it again this year. He still has a decent supporting cast around him in the lineup with the likes of Aaron Hill and Mark Troumbo but there still a little short on a support cast in that lineup, making it tough to score runs. Plus the Diamondbacks will be without Patrick Corbin, the teams ace pitcher, who is likely to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. Last year the team was a .500 ballclub with Corbin in the rotation. Without him in that rotation, the team looks like they are going to take a step backwards this year.

5. Colorado Rockies 72-90
Colorado had a tough year last year, finishing under .500 again. They have a team that could put up some runs on the board, with the likes of Troy Tulowitzki, Drew Stubbs, Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer, so there is some possible punch in that lineup. What is going to hurt the Rockies this season is thier pitching staff. It doesn't look, on paper at least, that the rotation can provide manager Walt Weiss with enough quality innings to keep the team in games and not burn out the bullpen. It's going to hurt the Rockies, who will again be at the bottom.

AL Central
1. Kansas City Royals 87-75
This is going to surprise a few people that I have the Royals winning the Central this year. This coming a year after they just missed out on the playoffs and finished 7 games back of the Tigers in the division. The difference between last year and this year? They have a very solid offensive lineup, which will center around Mike Moustakas looks like he could come into his own and live up to the considerable hype that surrounded him when he made his major league debut in 2011. The pitching staff is pretty good too. Throw in young starter Yordano Ventura, who has pitched his way onto the starting rotation, has some electric stuff from what I've heard, will make this a dangerous rotation. Kansas City is a very solid all around team and will just beat out the Tigers for the Central.

2. Detroit Tigers 86-76
A little surprised to see the Tigers not winning the Central? Well I have good reason for that. Sure the Tigers still have an outstanding rotation, spearheaded by Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Sure the bullpen is very solid too. But whats going to hurt the Tigers as far as a divisional push goes is injuries. Yes they still have a potent offense, and bolsterd it by adding Ian Kinsler at 2nd base. But they are going into the regular season a little banged up. Andy Dirks out until at least June after undergoing back surgery. Jose Iglesias is likely out for the season with fractures in both legs and Bruce Rondon is headed for Tommy John surgery. Detroit will still be in the thick of things but they may fall just short.

3. Cleveland Indians 84-78
Cleveland is coming off a strong year last year, making the playoffs for the first time in six years. This year things may look a little different for the Tribe. Cleveland has a very strong lineup, which was bolsterd a bit with the addition of a rejuvenated Asdrubal Cabrera. But what may end up hurting the Tribe this year is their pitching staff. Sure Josh Thomlin has looked good this spring, coming back after missing all of last season with having elbow surgery. But after Justin Masterson, there are questions surrounding the rest of the rotation, which will end up costing the Indians another playoff spot this year.

4. Chicago White Sox 70-92
Chicago is still in a rebuilding process. Not much has really changed from last year for the boys from the Windy City. Major questions remain behind the plate, where the underachieving Tyler Flowers and Rule-5 draft pick Adrian Nieto figure to see the bulk of the playing time. Newcomers like Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton have looked good this spring and provide upgrades in the lineup and in the field, but some of the team's veterans—Alejandro De Aza, Adam Dunn and Alexei Ramirez—could be moved for more pieces to build around, further weakening the 2014 squad.

5. Minnesota Twins 70-92
Last year was a rough one for the Twins, finishing well under .500 and at the bottom of the Central. Things looked to be turning around for the Twins with the likes of Miguel Sano, but the fact that he got hurt and will likely be done for the season thanks to Tommy John Surgery puts a damper on the Twins plans. The Twins rotation looks solid, but lack of offense is going to hurt them this year, as they have no clear second "big bat" after catcher-turned-first baseman Joe Mauer. So this is going to be a bit of a long summer in the Twin Cities.

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals 95-67
And you thought the Dodgers were a loaded baseball club. The St. Louis Cardinals are the deepest team in either league. Not only do the Cardinals head into the regular season relatively healthy, but they've got the high-end minor league depth that can either be inserted into their lineup when a need arises or be used to go out and obtain whatever they want. Sure they will not have Carlos Beltran in the lineup, as he has signed elsewhere, but Allen Craig has no problem stepping in and filling that role. St. Louis has the central locked up.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates 83-79 (WC)
Last year was a statement year in the Steel City. The Pirates ended two long droughts by finally having a winning season and making the playoffs for the first time in twenty years! A majority of the talent the Pirates had from last years club is back in the fold. The Pirates lost A.J. Burnett in that pitching rotation, but seemed to have found a suitable replacement for him in the form of Wandy Rodriguez. And if, somehow, holes arise in the back end of the rotation, Phil Irwin, Jeff Locke and the team's top pitching prospect Jameson Taillon should have no problem filling in. There isn't enough talent here for the Pirates to be able to catch up to the Cardinals but it will be enough to keep them ahead of the Reds.

3. Cincinnati Reds 82-80
This will be a bit of a dropoff year for the Reds. Not a drastic one but a small dropoff will happen. Sure they have a potent attack. They still have Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips powering the lineup, and plenty of speed to burn with the likes of Billy Hamilton. But where the Reds are going to be hurting is their pitching staff. With starter Matt Latos and relievers Jonathan Broxton and Aroldis Chapman all expected to start the season on the disabled list. Starting pitching and the bullpen are in flux,w hich is going to spell trouble for the Reds this year.

4. Milwaukee Brewers 79-83
Last season was a down one for the Brewers, who finished under .500 for the 2nd time in six years. This year the Brew Crew has a solid looking team, nothing compared to the teams that are ahead of them in the Division, but still they look like they could climb back in the direction of .500 this year. Ryan Braun looks like he might be returning close to his MVP form, while Rickie Weeks seems to be doing just the same. They have a solid lineup and pitching rotation, but if somebody gets hurt, then the Brewers are in trouble. Lack of depth in the minors will be a hinder to the Brew Crew.

5. Chicago Cubs 67-95
This is going to be another long season in the Windy City for the Cubbies. The Cubs haven't had a winning season since 2009 and haven't made the playoffs since 2008. The pitching staff in Chicago seems decent enough, but the pen leaves a little to be desired. One of the bright spots for the Cubs is going to be Anthony Rizzo, who is on his way to becoming a big star in the big leagues. The team is rebuilding and at the moment there isn't much protection for Rizzo in that lineup, which will make it hard for Chicago to compete in this top heavy division.

AL East
1. Tampa Bay Rays 90-72
This one is going to surprise quite a few people but it makes a lot of sense. Why? Because they have a ton of pitching depth and a pretty loaded offense. Not as loaded as some other teams in the league, but still a very talent baseball club. The Rays have a solid starting rotation which features David Price, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb, Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi. And that's without Jeremy Hellickson who is a great young arm.

2. Boston Red Sox 89-73 (WC)
The defending World Series Champions are still in fine shape. Boston is heading into this year relatively healthy, which is a difference from last year when injuries have plagued members of their starting rotation. Boston also has to deal with not having Stephen Drew or Jacoby Elsbury in the lineup. Jackie Bradley Jr appears to be the opening day center fielder. Grady Seismore, who hasn't played a game since 2011, is also going to be called apron to pick up some of the slack. Sure the Red Sox are still a very solid ball club but Tampa Bay is just a little bit better.

3. New York Yankees 86-76 (WC)
This offseason was a big one for the Yankees, adding a lot of new faces. They brought in the likes of Beltran, Elsbury, Tanaka, McCann and others. The team is stock loaded, but there are a few question marks. Sabathia is one of them, the workhorse of the rotation has yet to crack 90 mph on the radar gun this spring with his fastball—the Yankees starting rotation looks to be in far better shape than anyone thought.  There is plenty of talent on this club, enough to get them into the playoffs. But the lack of depth could hurt them if they have injuries. either way the Yankees are going to be back in the playoffs

4. Baltimore Orioles 81-81
Baltimore is coming off a good year last year, one in which saw the coming out party for Adam jones and Chris Davis. Both guys are going to have another big impact again this season, as is Nelson Cruz who is going to try and come back after his suspension at the end of last year. What's going to hurt Baltimore at the start of the year is that Manny Machado will start the season on the disabled list. That means that Ryan Flaherty has been tabbed with replacing Machado in the lineup, offers nowhere near the same level of offense or defense. And with him starting, the team's bench is also weaker. This is going to cost the Orioles games at the start of the year, and with how top heavy with talent this east division is Baltimore is going to be missing out on the playoffs again.

5. Toronto Blue Jays 75-87
Nothing has changed for the boys north of the border, which is going to be a big problem. The Blue Jays failed to land either Ubaldo Jimenez or Ervin Santana, leaving the rotation, after R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle, with much to be desired. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion will put up their typically gaudy numbers, but the Blue Jays simply don't have the pieces needed to contend in what is, once again, the toughest division in baseball.

NL East
1. Washington Nationals 92-70
The Nationals head into the start of the season healthy, something that can't be said by too many teams in the National League. Washington had an already stacked starting rotation, featuring great arms like  Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez. Now throw in the addition of Doug Fister, giving new skipper Matt Williams perhaps the best rotation in the game. A strong bullpen and deep lineup, including a healthy Bryce Harper, sets the Nationals up to return to their 2012 NL East glory.

2. Atlanta Braves 85-77 (WC)
Atlanta took a big blow to their starting rotation this spring with the loss off Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen for the season. It helped that they signed Erwin Santana to soften the blow but it might still hurt them a little. While talented, having pitchers like Gavin Floyd, Freddy Garcia and David Hale take the mound in crucial games with playoff implications is anything but ideal. Fortunately, Atlanta's offense should be better than it was a year ago thanks to signs of life from Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton this spring. What is going to help Atlanta out is that, aside from them and Washington, the National League East is a weak division. the Braves should have enough talent to get by and make the playoffs.

3. New York Mets 80-82
This could be another interesting season for the New York Mets. Sure they got a little better by adding Curtis Granderson and Bartolo Colon. Zach Wheeler  has looked great in the spring and Noah Syndergard looks like he could be up in the big leagues sooner than expected. Sure the Mets are going to be without ace Matt Harvey, who is going to be out with Tommy John Surgery, but there is still a decent staff to take the hill this year. Questions still remain about what, if any, offensive production the Mets will get from behind the plate, first base and shortstop. Had the Mets addressed these holds a little better I would put the Mets at .500 but with what they have they will fall just short of the mark.

4. Philadelphia Phillies 72-90
This is a ball club that seems to have fallen off the last few years. With the Pitching staff and core getting older, it makes it hard for the team to really be able to compete. After Cliff Lee and the currently injured Cole Hamels, there are major questions surrounding Philadelphia's rotation, with A.J. Burnett looking nothing like a front-of-the-rotation arm this spring. Those same questions can be asked about the lineup too. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins are getting older and aren't aging very well. There's not much to be positive about in the city of brotherly love.

5. Miami Marlins 69-93
The fish are still in a rebuilding mode, but with the young arms they have stockpiled, Miami looks really good right now in regards to their pitching staff, with rookie of the year Jose Fernandez leading the charge. Pitching looks like it might be able to keep the Marlins in some of the games but that's about it. Too many questions surround the lineup for Miami to finish with a winning record, but a full season from Christian Yelich and a healthy Giancarlo Stanton will provide enough oomph for the Marlins to play the role of spoiler down the stretch with an eye toward 2015 and beyond.

So there you have it, my predictions for the 2014 Major League Baseball Season!

(Note: All predictions were made BEFORE the start of the regular season)

Vick Signing With Jets Could Be A Good Thing....Maybe

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has seemed to really change his mindset about his football team. Johnson went from wanting to re-build his team to he wants to win now. His latest showing of wanting to win now, it was signing Quarterback Michael Vick to a one year deal worth $5 million. This could turn out to be either a really good signing, or it could really blow up in the Jets faces.

Here's the upside to this deal. It gives Vick a chance to be a starting Quarterback again. He lost the starting job a year ago with the Eagles to Nick Foles after Vick got hurt. Foles led the Eagles to the playoffs, which pretty much meant Vick was headed out of Philadelphia. Going into free agency, he had been the best available quarterback on the market, so the Jets decided to take a chance on him and pick him up. Of course he will be competing with 2nd year QB Geno Smith, who started every game of the season for Gang Green last season. Vick will be 34 by the time the regular season starts in September, so he may still have a few good years left in the tank. There is no guarantee that he will beat out Geno for the job, but if he does, Vick may be the better option of the two as your starter. Vick has a better arm, is a better runner and can hang onto the football and make better decisions with the ball as compared with Geno. It gives the Jets more options at Quarterback to see which one will work best for them this season. Plus Vick walks into the Jets door already kinda knowing the offensive system run by Marty Mornhinwig, which is a West Coast Offense. That's the same style offense he was in with the Eageles. I only bring this up because going into the Jets offense would be an easier transition for Vick than had he possibly gone to any other NFL team.

Sure Vick may be the better option, when he is healthy and on his game. But the downside is that Vick hasn't really been able to stay healthy during his career. Vick has played one full 16 game season, that was back in 2006. So you know that Vick has had health issues over his career so its a big risk. If Vick gets hurt, Geno has to get thrown back into the fire, which could happen late in the year when the Jets are making a playoff push. The Jets tried this idea twice in the last few seasons.

I know that the Jets want to win now, but as we have seen in past seasons with this football team, having QB's competing for the job has really blown up in their face. Remember what it did to Mark Sanchez last year. I know it was a freak accident in a preseason game against the Giants but still if it hadn't been a competition and mismanagement by the team, Sanchez most likely wouldn't have gotten hurt and would probably still be a Jet. And let us not forget the experiment the Jets tried with Tim Tebow two years ago when they brought him in from Denver.

So there really is a double edge sword for Jets management bringing Vick into the fold. It's either going to work out or blow up again in their face. Now if they can go out and fix that weak secondary the Jets have I would feel so much better.

NFL Free Agency Recap

Since free agency started in the NFL a little over a week and a half ago, there has been quite a bit of movement around the league. Some teams have made noise, either by re-signing players, making a trade or bringing in new players. Other teams have sat by and done nothing, either because somebody else bet them to it or they just couldn't come to terms with a player. So with all that being said, lets try and get you caught up on some of the players that have new deals and some who might still be on the move. Here are some of the winners and losers in early free agency.

Winner: Denver Broncos
Denver is coming off last year's trip to the Super Bowl with a high powered offense and an average defense. I know they lost one of their best receivers in Eric Decker, who signed a five year deal with the Jets. Sure they don't have a set running game yet as Knowshon Moreno is still a free agent, but there is still time to get him re-signed. No the reason Denver has been a winner in free agency so far is that Denver is getting the players it needs, premium guys, and at important positions. They lost Decker, no problem, they go out and pick up Emmanuel Sanders, who had been a solid threat with the Steelers a year ago. That helped out this high powered offens. What John Elway needed to do was help try and improve that Denver defense. To help out that defense, Elway brought in safety T.J. Ward, shutdown cornerback Aqib Talib and pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware. With all this that Denver has already done to better their team, they still also have $5.4 million in cap space to work with if they should try to add more pieces to the puzzle.

Winner: New England Patriots
Yes I know this may be a bit of a surprise to see the Patriots here but it needs to be said. New England still has a lot of work to do to fill the holes on their offense, that is true. The reason I put them here as a winner so far is the fact that they bolsterd their defense by bringing in cornerback Darrelle Revis. In this case, Revis turns out to be the big winner. Why? He gets to play for a championship with the Patriots, as opposed to being a single star amid a Tampa Bay Buccaneers rebuilding program.

Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Going into free agency, you didn't really see Tampa Bay as being a place to go, but it turns out it has been. The Buccs were awful last year, trying to improve this offseason and had some money to spend. In total so far, according to reports, the Bucs have signed 10 players to a league-high $142 million. I know it may look bad in the fact that they lost Revis Island, but that was for the better trust me. The Bucs went out and got some players they really needed. They got themselves a starting quarterback in Josh McCown and named him their starter right away. They also added much needed pieces in defensive end Michael Johnson, left tackle Anthony Collins, cornerback Alterraun Verner, tight end Brandon Myers and defensive tackle Clinton McDonald. Will they be better this year? In theory yes, but how much better we don;t know as of yet.

Loser: Dallas Cowboys
Coming into the offseason, Dallas had some work to do, as they were going to be over the Salary Cap by the time free agency hit. So they cut a few players like Miles Austin and DeMarcus Ware. After clearing the cap space, Dallas still hasn't done much of anything with it. Their defensive line has gone from a force to now a bunch of nobodies. Dallas really needs to wake up and start trying to build otherwise it could be a long season in Big D.

Loser: Carolina Panthers
After coming off a solid 11-5 season last year, and a playoff birth too, Carolina was on the cusp of becoming a big force in the NFC. To this point, however, they have totally dropped the ball. First lets take a look at their offense. Going into free agency the Panthers would have looked to possibly add another weapon for Cam Newton to throw to. Well not only have they not gotten that weapon, as most of the talented free agents have already been signed, but they also lost their top receiver in Steve Smith. So the offense seems to have taken a step backwards. On defense they were able to keep Greg Hardy, but the secondary did lose cornerback Captain Munnerlyn to the Minnesota Vikings and safety Mike Mitchell to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Carolina could be in trouble this season if they don't start moving on signing players.

Loser: Kansas City Chiefs
Sure Kansas City had a great year last year, making the playoffs and hanging in with Denver for the AFC West crown last year. But as the saying goes, success comes at a price. Kansas City lost a lot of talent this offseason, mostly in their line. Left tackle Branden Albert, right tackle Geoff Schwartz and guard Jon Asamoah each signed elsewhere. It is tough to lose three linemen and not feel the sting, any team would get hit hard losing talent like that. And to make matters worse, the Chiefs could not re-sign Dexter McCluster either and still have one of the tightest salary-cap budgets with less than $6.3 million to spend. So there isn't much room to work with to put a solid team together to try and regain that same success.

That's just after a week and a half, there is still more possible player movement to take place between now and the start of the season!

Oswego Again Headed To Final Four

For the fifth straight season, the Oswego State Men's Hockey Team will be headed to the Division III Final Four. How did they get there? On the strength of a 3-0 shutout victory over Babson Sunday afternoon. Oswego dominated the game early on, then played a tight defensive game to shut down the Beavers and come away with the win.

Oswego really controlled the opening period of play, outshooting the Beavers 12-1 in the period and scoring twice. Oswego connected on the powerplay at 13:58 as Shawn Hulshof scored his 9th of the season. The lead was increased to two when at the 15:11 mark Matt Galati scored his 254th of the year. Oswego controlled the play and went into the intermission up by two. Babson really started to take the game to Oswego in the middle period, outshooting the Lakers in the 2nd period 11-4. Oswego put the final nail in the coffin at the 4:59 mark when Brandon Adams scored his 10th of the year, a shorthanded goal, to seal the game. Babson really pushed the play late in the game but where unable to score, as Oswego walked away with a hard fought 3-0 win.

Jamie Murray took the loss for Babson, dropping his record to 21-5-2 on the year, as he stopped 24 of the 27 shots he faced. Meanwhile Matt Zawadzki picked up the win for Oswego, improving his record to 15-2-2 on the year, as he was perfect, stopping all 27 shots he faced. Oswego was 1 for 6 on the powerplay while Babson went 0 for 2 on the man advantage.

With the victory, Oswego State will be playing in the final four for the fifth straight year. The first two trips resulted in semifnal losses, losing in 2010 to St. Norbert and then in 2011 to Adrian. Each of the last two seasons Oswego has made it all the way to the National Championship game, losing in 2012 to St. norbert and last season to Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Oswego is heading into the tournament hoping that the 3rd time is possibly the charm.

The four remaining teams in this tournament are Oswego, Wisconsin Stevens-Point, St. Norbert and Geneseo. St. Norbert will face off against Geneso Friday March 21st at 4PM while Oswego will take on Wisconsin Stevens Point at 7PM! All games will be played at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewsiton, M.E.

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Breaking Down The NCAA Basketball Tournament

The time has arrived. March Madness has officially begun, as the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament is set to start, with the field of 64 set in place. There are so many interesting angles to look at for this big dance, so some of the teams in this years tournament could be a surprise. We will break down the tournament by the numbers and see who might have the best chance to win the whole thing.

If you are a team in this tournament that has a seed between 8 and 16, then your odds of going deep into the tournament aren't very good. If your a 16 seed, which this year is Coastal Carolina, Albany/Mt. Saint Mary's, Weber St and either Cal Polytechnic or Texas Southern, you don't stand much a chance to go deep because no 16  seed has ever gotten to the sweet sixteen. So that's pretty much a given they won't go far. A team might still surprise you but I don't see a 16 beating a 1 seed this year. In fact a 16 has never beaten a 1 in the tournament so that's pretty much a lock. It's a safe bet to say that Florida, Virginia, Wichita State and Arizona are going to be moving on in the tournament.

A 15 seed has only made it that far once and that was Florida Gulf Coast last year. So 15 seeds are in just as much trouble. Teams that have a 2 seed have gone 109-7 all time against a 15 seed, so the odds are in the favor of the 2's in the opening round. I can't see Kansas, Villonova, Michigan and Wisconsin getting upset to start the tournament.

A 13 and/or 14 seed have made it to the sweet sixteen eight times in history. None of them have made it to an elite eight. The 12 seed have fared a tad better, having made a sweet sixteen once, UW-Milwaukee (2005) and one elite eight appearance from a twelve seed, that being Missouri (2002). I'm not saying the 12 seed this year will be better but historically, they have a slightly better shot. Teams that have a 3 seed usually play well in the opening round, going 99-11 against a 13 seed. This year the 3 seeds are Syracuse, Iowa State, Creighton and Duke, and they should have no problem moving on. A 4 seed has had a little more trouble in the opening round, going 91-25 against the 13 seeds. Michigan State, UCLA, San Diego State and Louisville are the 4 seeds this year and San Diego State may be the only one I can see having trouble with its opening round opponent, New Mexico State. All four should be able to move on though

An 11 seed has done pretty well at times in the tournament. We've had two 11 seeds reach the Elite Eight, Loyola Marymount (1990) and Temple (2001). We've also seen an 11 seed reach the final four three times, in the form of LSU (1986), George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011). Whoever is the 6 seed has gone 77-39 against an 11 seed in history. This year, North Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State will do what they have to and take down the 11 seed. The other matchup is going to be an upset. Iowa and Tennessee have to play each other to see who gets Massachusetts. Now if Tennessee can get the win then I can see them pulling another upset and beating the 6 seed, but if it's Iowa then I don't know if they can. It depends on who comes out on top in that play in game.

If your a ten seed, then you have some decent odds to go deep, since it has happened eight times in history that a ten seed has made the elite eight. This year however, odds don't favor the ten seeds in the opening round. Saint Josephs has to play Connecticut, Stamford has to play New Mexico, BYU has to play Oregon and Arizona State has to play Texas. Stamford may be the only one of the four ten seeds to pull off an upset, the other three I can see falling.

Finally we have the most even matchup of the opening round which is the eight vs. nine seeds. Twice in history a nine seed has gone deep, Boston College in 1994 went to the Elite Eight, and Wichita State last year made the final four. Eight seeds have had pretty good success. North Carolina and Wisconsin in 2000 went to the final four, Butler went to the title game in 2008 and Villanova won the whole thing in 1985 all as the eight seed. Kentucky, Gonzaga and Memphis will hang on as the eight seed while Pittsburgh will move on as the nine seed.

Wichita State comes into the tournament as the only team that went undefeated during the regular season, as they went 34-0. They become the 18th team to ever go into the tournament unbeaten, and are the first school to do so since the UNLV Running Rebels did it in 1991. There have been seven teams in history that have totally run the table, going undefeated en route to a national title, with the last team to do it being Indiana in 1976.

Louisville is the defending national champions, sitting as the four seed in the midwest region. They have a very solid chance to repeat as the National Champions but they have to go through the likes of Michigan, Duke and Wichita State to make it out of the region and advance in the tournament. The Cardinals are good but I don't see them winning a second straight championship.

So there you have it, a rough breakdown of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament by the numbers. As the tournament goes along we will update you with all the happenings and any major upsets that may take place.

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)

New York Jets Add Eric Decker, But Still More Work To Be Done

Thew New York Jets have started taking steps in the right direction in free agency. First they cleared some cap space and dead weight on the team by cutting both Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes. Those moves freed up about $17.75 million for the salary cap for this season. With that being done the Jets need to work on rebuilding the secondary and giving whoever is going to be the starting quarterback weapons to throw to. They took care of one of those issues yesterday.

The Jets have come to agreement with Wide Receiver Eric Decker on a five years deal worth $36.25 million, with $15 million in guarantees, according to USA Today. Now I really do like this signing and for a number of reasons. First off is that Decker, who's only 26 years old, was the best available free agent on the market at wide receiver. Last year, Decker had 87 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns. During his four years with the Broncos, Decker had 222 catches for 3,070 yards and 33 touchdowns. Some may argue that those numbers are a tad inflated because he had Peyton Manning throwing to him, but still you have to be a talented receiver to be able to catch all those passes.

Decker had more touchdown catches than any of the Jets receivers, Stephen Hill, Jeremy Kerley and David Nelson had combined. But that had to do with Decker playing with Peyton Manning a year ago. Still this is a needed improvement having Decker in the fold. There is still work to be done by the Jets on offense if they are to compete. Sure they have Decker and Jeremy Kerley as the top targets at receiver, so it makes for something for the Qarterback, whether its Geno Smith Mark Sanchez or somebody else, to throw to. But that won't be enough for the Jets to thrive.

They need to add one more solid receiver. i know they still have David Nelson and Stephen Hill in the mix, but I don't feel comfortable enough with that receiving core. Gang Green can add another solid receiver in the draft, possibly. Some of the names that have been thrown around that the Jets are looking at in the draft are Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins and USC wide receiver Marqise Lee. those guys could be a decent fit for the team, if they are still available when the Jets make their selection with the 18th pick in the draft. Also they could try and take a flyer on some of the other wide outs still on the market. Both Julian Edelman and Emmanuel Sanders are still on the market. Both guys had more than 700 yards receiving a year ago with the Patriots and Steelers respectively.

So what the Jets do with adding receiving weapons is going to take a little time to see how things play out.

But offense isn't the only area the Jets still need work on, as the secondary can use a retooling or two. Something can be done with their 18th pick in the draft to help out with Cornerbacks and Safeties but the team should also look at the market. Most of the big name free agent defensive backs are already signed. Just like they did with Ed Reed at the end of last year, the Jets may take a flyer on Champ Bailey, who could fill the same kind of role that Reed did at the end of last year. Bailey would be worth a look. Same thing can be said about former Dolphins safety Chris Clemons, who would be a good fit playing alongside Dee Millner.

Even though there is still a lot of work to be done for the Jets, they are starting to take a step in the right direction.

Title Defended! Oswego Wins 2nd Straight SUNYAC Title

For the 3rd straight year, the Oswego State Men's Hockey team played for a SUNYAC crown. They were able to win the conference last year and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. This year they had a chance to do it again, facing the Geneseo Ice Knights with an automatic bid to the tournament on the line. In one of the most thrilling hockey games of the year the Oswego State Lakers are SUNYAC Champions once again, beating Geneseo 7-6. This game had a little bit of everything, high scoring, blown leads and late drama.

Oswego jumped out to a quick lead, just 36 seconds into the game, when Chris Carr scored his 2nd of the year. Oswego extended the lead to 2-0 at the 11:17 mark thanks to Matt Galati's 22nd of the year, a powerplay goal. Geneseo was able to cut the Oswego lead in half at the 16:29 mark when David Ripple scored his 8th of the year, a powerplay goal. So Oswego was able to carry a one goal lead into the intermission. Oswego found a groove to start the middle period, scoring three times within the first fifteen minutes of the frame. Josh Timpano scored his 2nd career goal at the 4:40 mark to give Oswego a 3-1 lead. Then Chris Carr got in on the act again, his 2nd of the night and 3rd of the year, scoring at the 9:52 mark. The Lakers stretched the lead to 5-1 at the 13:05 mark when Matt Galati scored his 2nd of the night and 23rd of the year. So at this point you think the lead is safe for Oswego. That wasn't the case, as Geneseo scored twice before the end of the period. First at the 18:50 mark, Tyler Brickler scored his 14th of the year, a powerplay goal, to cut into the lead, Geneseo would not go away, when at the 19:47 mark Zachary Vit scored his 18th of the year, to keep Geneseo in the game. So after 40 minutes of play, Oswego still held a two goal lead, but the pressure was on.

Geneseo took about five and half minutes of the final frame to pull the game even at five. Jack Ceglarski scored his 4th of the year at the 3:47 mark to pull within one. The Ice Knights got the game even at the 5:23 mark when David Ripple scored his 2nd of the game and 9th of the year. Oswego refused to go away and at the 9:30 mark Alex Botten scored his 8th of the year to restore a one goal lead for Oswego. That lead would last until the 14:22 mark when Jack Caradonna scored his 3rd of the year to get the game even at six. As the game wore on, everybody started to get geard up for a possible overtime. That was until lighting struck. Oswego got a powerplay in the final two minutes of regulation and at the 19:31 mark Shawn Hulshof scored the game winner, his 8th of the season. Geneseo pused in the final seconds for the tying goal but it was not to be as Oswego hung on for a 7-6 victory and their 2nd straight SUNYAC championship.

Nick Horrigan got the start for Geneseo, but got pulled, allowing five goals and stopping 24 shots. Bryan Haude came in in relief and took the loss, dropping his record to 9-5-0 on the year, as he gave up two goals while stopping ten total shots. In total Geneseo allowed seven goals on 41 shots from Oswego. Meanwhile, Matt Zawadzki got the win for Oswego, improving his record to 13-2-2 on the year, as he stopped 40 of the 46 shots he faced. Oswego managed to go 2 for 3 on their powerplay while Geneseo went 3 for 5 on their man advantage. Some players on both teams had multi-point games in this contest, but nobody had a bigger day than Alex Botten, who figured in on six of the seven Oswego goals, scoring one goal and assisting on five others. Because of that performance, he was able to pick up the SUNYAC tournament MVP.

So now that Oswego has captured the SUNYAC title, their ticket is punched to the NCAA Tournament. Oswego will host an opening round game, this Wednesday night at the Campus Center Ice Arena against the Bowdin Polar Bears at 7PM! Win that game, and they move on to the Quarterfinals this wekend, lose and the season comes to an end.

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Tough Playoff Loss Ends Oswego Women's Season

After pulling out a hard fought victory in the opening round of the ECAC West Playoffs, the Oswego state Women's Hockey team had a tough task ahead of it in the semifinal matchup of the tournament against the Elmira Soaring Eagles. Oswego had never been able to beat Elmira in 18 tries, including playoffs. That trend continued this past weekend as Oswego's season came to an end after a crushing 3-0 loss.

Elmira got on the board at the 19:42 mark of the opening period when Tanis Lamoureux scored her 13th of the year, a powerplay goal. The Soaring Eagles would tack on two more goals in the 3rd period, Brooke Wilgosh's 8th of the year at the 8:42 mark and an empty net goal from Erin Weston, her 11th of the year at 19:38 to put the game away and seal the fate of the Lakers.

Lisa Marshall got the win for Elmira, improving her record to 16-3-1 on the year, as she stopped all 18 shots that she faced in the shutout. Tori Trovato took the loss for Oswego, dropping her record to 6-4-0 on the year, as she stopped 22 of the 24 shots she faced. Elmira went 1 for 6 on the powerplay while Oswego went 0 for 7 on the man advantage.

Oswego managed to hang in tough the whole hockey game and had their chances but they just weren't able to capitalize on their opportunities. With the season over, Oswego finished the year with a 17-9-1 record and 10-5-1 in ECAC West play, both new program records! So even though the end result wasn't what the team wanted, there is still nothing to be ashamed of, as they pulled off one of the best years ever in program history!

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Henrik Lundqvist Closing In On Rangers History

Another night, another win for New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Or so we think. Lundqvist and the Rangers beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 Sunday afternoon, giving Lundqvist his 300th NHL win and 49th career shutout. The win puts Lundqvist into elite class, becoming the 11th goalie in league history to win 300 games. He and Martin Brodeur of the Devils are the only two active netminders with 300 career wins. But from a Rangers perspective, the win and shutout are more inpactful for the franchise.

The win puts Lundqvist just one behind Mike Richter for the franchise record for wins. Richter won 301 games in a Rangers uniform, a record which Henrik can break this season. By pitching the 3-0 shutout, his 4th zero of this season, it was the 49th of Lundqvist career, which ties him with Ed Giacomin for most shutouts in Rangers history. Both of those records, franchise wins and franchise shutouts, can fall before the end of this season.

There are 17 games left in the regular season for the New York Rangers. Lundqvist has started 49 games to this point, and has a chance to start at least maybe 10 of the remaining 17 games this year. So the franchise record for wins will fall, and in all likelyhood it will fall within the next two weeks. The Rangers play four games this week, three of which are on the road. They are in Carolina on the 11th, In Minnesota on the 13th and in Winnipeg on the 14th before returning home to play the Sharks on the 16th. If the Rangers are smart they make sure Henrik gets win 301 and then sit him till the 16th so he can break the franchise record for wins on home ice at MSG.

The shutout record is a little harder to predict when it will happen. However with the way Henrik has played this year, there is still a strong chance the record is going to fall this season. To snag one shutout over the final 17 games of the season, it can be done, but will it actually happen who knows.

With what King Henrik has been able to do, not only this year but in his career on Broadway, he is a lock to have his #30 raised to the rafters at MSG once his career is over. He has been able to win 300 games, and counting, in nine pro seasons. This while only losing 191 times in that same time span. And this is just in the regular season. Lundqvist has gone to throw in a 41-33 career playoff record with 9 shutouts. The shutouts and wins are the most ever by a Rangers netminder in the playoffs. Those kind of numbers are the stuff of legend, and dare I say it, hall of fame worthy!

NHL Trade Deadline Recap and Analysis

To most hockey fans, NHL Trade Deadline day is a fun filled, exciting day to see what players are going to be moved and to where. Clubs are gearing up for the final playoff push, picking up players that could be helpful in their march to the post season. In total, between February 28th and the 3PM deadline on March 5th, there were 32 trades made involving 40+ players. Some moves were minor  while others had some big names on the move. It would take way too long to recap every single trade that was made through the deadline. However we will take a look at the big trades that were made and how they will affect the teams involved.

The Buffalo Sabres have made a few splashes during the deadline. We all know about them picking up Halak and Stewart from the Blues for Miller and Ott. Both guys who went to the Blues will be a help to St. Louis for their run to the playoffs. After that deal, Buffalo had two more big moves up their sleeve. First was shipping Jaroslav Halak out again, sending him and a 3rd round pick in 2014 to the Washington Capitals for Michal Neuvirth and Rostislav Klesla. Neuvirth played only 13 games in DC behind Braden Holtby so by sending him to Buffalo he will get more playing time, splitting time in net with Jhonas Enroth. With the Sabres adding Klesla he could possibly add another solid presence on the Buffalo blue line, when he gets called up to the big leagues. Washington benefits bigtime by adding Halak to their team. tehy now have two solid starting goalies who could split time in net with Halak and Holtby. Both guys could provide stable goaltending come playoff time.

Besides seeing Halak moved, there were three other big goalies traded during the deadline. Devan Dubnyk was sent from the Predators, as he hadn't played there very much since he was traded there, to the Montreal Canadiens for future considerations. With Price hurt at the moment the Habs needed another netminder to hold the fort down along with Peter Budaj till Price gets healthy. The Florida Panthers were involved with the other two big moves among goaltenders, trying to set that position for the future down in Sunrise. The biggest move was sending Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Steven Anthony and netminder Roberto Luongo. Moving Mathias for Anthony may have been thrown in to help complete the deal, as Mathias can provide the Canucks some scoring punch. Markstrom can be a solid backup and fill in nicely for Eddie Lack in the Canucks net. With Luongo going to Florida, he goes back to where his career took off. Luongo had been having problems with Canucks management, something that has been going on for a while now, and Vancouver felt it was the right time to make the move and unload Luongo. The Panthers also pulled the trigger on another big goalie trade, sending starting netminder Tim Thomas to the Dallas Stars in exchange for goalie Dan Ellis. Again another solid move by the Panthers, getting a solid backup in Ellis to play behind Luongo. With Thomas being traded, we know that Luongo will be the number one man in Florida. Also Dallas does benefit from adding Thomas to the lineup. He will more than likely be playing behind Kari Lehtonen in net, which will be a big help for the Stars in net as they try to make the post season.

Besides the netminders, we also saw some bigtime scoring stars get moved around at the deadline. The Anaheim Ducks traded Dustin Penner to the Washington Capitals from a 2014 4th round pick. Good move by the Capitals to add another scoring punch in Penner and not give up other than a pick to a loaded Ducks team. We saw the Edmonton Oilers trade Ales Hemsky to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 5th Round Pick in 2014 and a 3rd Round Pick in 2015. This helps try and boast a Senators offense, which at the moment is around 14th in the league in goals per game average. The Los Angeles Kings got a big boost to their offense as the picked up Marian Gaborik from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Matt Frattin, a 2nd Round Pick 2014 or 2015 and a Conditional 3rd Round Pick. this will really help the Kings out. even though the currently sit in a playoff spot, LA averages 2.32 goals per game which is 27th in the NHL so Gaborik will be a big boost when he's healthy.

The local Metro area teams made a few moves at the deadline. the New Jersey Devils picked up Tuomo Ruutu from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Andrei Loktionov and a Conditional 3rd Round Pick in 2017. The New York Islanders made two moves. First they sent defenseman Andrew MacDonald to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 3rd Round Pick in 2014, a 2nd Round Pick in 2015 and forward Matt Mangene. not a bad move for MacDonald, would have liked to get a little bit more for him, but I'm not totally upset with the trade. The other trade the Islanders made got me a tad upset.The Islanders traded Thomas Vanek and a Conditional 5th Round Pick in 2014 to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for F Sebastien Collberg and a Conditional 2nd Round Pick in 2014. The Islanders dropped the ball so badly with this deal, as it seemed to be more of a last minute move by the Islanders. They hadn't made any noise early on deadline day with this trade and it feels like it was a way to dump him off. I would have really liked to see the Islanders pick up more for Vanek in the trade.

Finally the New York Rangers made a pair of moves. The Rangers picked up Raphael Diaz from the Vancouver Canucks for a 5th round pick in 2015. Solid move to help out the blue line. The biggest move made during the deadline the Rangers were able to pull off. They traded Ryan Callahan, a 1st Round Pick in 2015 and a Conditional 2nd Round Pick in 2014 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Martin St. Louis. This was a big move for the short term for both teams. Tampa Bay gets two future draft pics to build their team with and get a solid defensive forward for their playoff push. Sure they lose one of, if not, their best player in St. Louis, but he wanted out of Tampa. There had been some kind of riff between St. Louis and GM Steve Yzerman. Some of it had to do with the St. Louis being left off Canada's olympic roster by Yzerman caused a riff, but I feel there's more to it than that. The Rangers benefit from the trade by adding a big time scoring punch in the form of St. Louis who can still put points on the board at 38 years old.

So there, in a nutshell, is what went down during the NHL Trade Deadline!

Oswego Downs Bengals, Move On To Next Round

For the fourth year in a row, the Oswego State Women's Hockey team played in the ECAC West Playoffs. For the 3rd year in a row they hosted an ECAC West playoff game. The last three years it has been the Neumann College Knights that the Lakers have faced in the opening round of the playoffs. This year it wasn't the case as the Buffalo State Bengals provided the opposition this past weekend. Oswego has found themselves involved in 3-0 shutouts in each of the last two years in the playoffs, but that was the case this time around as the Lakers prevailed with a 3-1 victory.

Buffalo State came into the contest dressing only ten skaters and two goalies for the game, giving Oswego all they could handle early on. The Bengals actually jumped out to an early 1-0 lead at 7:25 of the 1st period when Kara Goodwin scored her 16th of the season. That Bengals goal would hold up through 40 minutes of play. Oswego dominated the entire hockey game, and in the 3rd period it payed off. Emma Smetaniuk scored her 6th of the season at the 3:04 mark of the 3rd to get Oswego on the board. The Lakers would take the lead at the 7:51 mark when Melissa Seamont netted her 11th of the year. Then at the 8:10 mark Mady Paul put the game away with a beautiful forehand deke, depositing the puck in the roof of the net on the backhand for her 3rd of the year, a powerplay goal, to seal the deal on the 3-1 win.

Jordan Lee took the loss for the Bengals, dropping her record to 3-17-2 on the year, as she stopped 37 of the 40 shots she faced. Tori Trovato picked up the win for Oswego, improving her record to 6-3-0 on the year, as she stopped 8 of the 9 shots she faced. Buffalo State went 0 for 4 with the man advantage while Oswego's powerplay went 1 for 5.

Oswego had kept pressure on the Bengals all day long and were able to capitalize on their chances in the 3rd period with the three goals. Now the real test comes for Oswego as they have to face off against the Elmira Soaring Eagles in the ECAC West semifinal. Oswego dropped both games to Elmira this season, by 5-2 and 2-1 (OT) scores this year. Both those games were played at the Campus Center Ice Arena. The matchup this weekend is taking place in Plattsburgh at Ronald B Stafford Ice Arena, as Plattsburgh is hosting the finals of the tournament this year. Faceoff for this huge playoff matchup between the Lakers and Soaring Eagles is this Saturday at 3PM!

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Oswego Downs Plattsburgh, Will Play For SUNYAC Title

The biggest rivalry in Division III Men's Hockey added another chapter to its storied legacy this pass weekend. For the 2nd time in as many weekends, the Oswego State Men's Hockey team made the trip to the Ronald B.Stafford Ice Arena to take on the Plattsburgh Cardinals. And for the 2nd straight weekend Oswego went into hostile territory and came away with a win, this one with playoff implications on the line.

Oswego was coming off a close win on home ice against Fredonia earlier this week just to move on to the semifianls against Plattsburgh. It was win or go home for the team. Oswego had to win to move on to the SUNYAC title game, all the while trying to end the Cardinals streak of 22 straight years playing in the SUNYAC title game. Much like the two previous meetings between the teams, this one was a tight checking, low scoring, hard hitting hockey game. Oswego, just like it did last weekend, came away with a big 2-1 win, ending the Cardinals streak of 22 straight SUNYAC title game appearances.

The first period saw nobody score and each team go 0 for 1 on their powerplays. Plattsburgh outshot the Lakers 9-7 in the opening period. To the middle period we go and Plattsburgh managed to get on the board 2:49 into the period on the powerplay as Alex Jensen scored his 13th of the year. The Cardinals carried that 1-0 lead into the break, outshooting the Lakers 12-10 in the middle frame. Oswego kept putting pressure on the Cardinals during the 3rd period before finally breaking through. At the 6:24 mark Oswego pulled even, thanks to Mike Montagna's 11th of the season. As the game wore on fans started to wonder who was going to be the hero in this game. We got that question answered a little over four minutes later, when at the 10:15 mark Josh Timpano, the freshman, scored his first career goal, which proved out to be the game winner, sending the Lakers to the SUNYAC title game. Timpano's first career goal could not have come at a bigger time.

Mathieu Cadieux took the loss for Plattsburgh, dropping his record to 18-5-2 on the year, as he stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced. Meanwhile Matt Zawadzki picked up the win for the Lakers, improving his record to 12-2-2 on the year, as he stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced. Plattsburgh managed to go 1 for 3 on the man advantage, while Oswego went 1 for 5 on the powerplay.

In this game for Oswego, it was the freshman really stealing the show. The offensive hero was Timpano for scoring his first career goal at a HUGE time for the Lakers. That could not have been a sweeter way to get your first goal. The defensive hero was freshman goalie Matt Zawadzki, who stood on his head during the 3rd period. He had kept Oswego in it most of the hockey game, saving his most brilliant work for helping preserve the lead the latter half of the 3rd period and send Oswego on to the next round.

Next up for the Lakers is the SUNYAC Cha,pionship game as Oswego heads to Geneseo to take on the Ice Knights for the Conference Championship. That's going to be a huge test for Oswego, as they have dropped both games they played this year against the Ice Knights including the 7-4 loss in Geneseo on November 22nd. The puck drop for the title game is set for 7PM!

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Noah Syndergaard Impressive Early In Camp

There's been a lot of hype around spring training this year for the New York Mets, with good reason. A lot of hype has been floating around young phenom Noah Syndergaard, a kid who has a fastball that can max out around 98 and a curveball that can break off a table top. Syndergaard has impressed in his bullpen sessions and an intrasquad game last week, which is really nice to see, showing Mets fans and baseball fans at well, that he's good. But there was no way to tell just how good he was going to be until he faced actual big league pitching. Well we got that question answered yesterday in his spring training debut against the Atlanta Braves.

Syndergaard pitched two scoreless innings in the Mets’ 6-2 victory, fanning two Braves hitters in Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis. The kid allowed one hit, a single by Ryan Doumit, and didn't walk anybody. He was not perfect, but he was brilliant at times. Syndergaard’s first four pitches to Heyward were fastballs: 95 m.p.h., 96, 97 and 97, which is serious gas folks. Syndergaard missed with his changeup and then his fastball, running the count full. Then he fired a 98-m.p.h. heater that Heyward could only flail at. Then fact that he was able to do that is telling me a lot in a short body of work.

First off it tells me that this kid is no joke, he is the real deal and will be as good if not possibly better than advertised. Now it's only in two innings of work early in spring training so its nothing to really get all that hyped up on just yet. I believe that Syndergaard is going to live up to those expectations when he finally does hit the Majors, whenever that may happen. With the Mets starting rotation the way it looks on paper right now, there is a chance he could be up with the big club before the All Star break and stick with them the rest of the year. But that's getting a little ahead of ourselves here.

Lets remember he has only pitched two innings against big league hitting in a game. He had a little trouble getting behind in counts but, as any good pitcher can do, he can work the kinks out of that issue by the time the season kicks off. The way he was throwing the fastball in the first game, it was almost as if he was daring the Braves to try and hit the pitch. It was a hard pitch and Syndergaard didn't have much trouble locating that pitch. He can hit his spots and if given proper time to mature can be a big impact on this Mets ball club.

Will this kid be able to, at 21 years old, pitch in the Big Leagues? That's for Mets management to decide. But when he does come up, and Matt Harvey comes back healthy, the two of them and Zach Wheeler are going to be a force to be reckoned with at the top of the Mets starting rotation.