Oswego Norwich Set for NCAA Rematch

Final Four weekend has finally arrived in Division III Ice Hockey. The chase for the National Championship has finally come down to this weekend. Two big games are scheduled for Friday. The late game will see UW-Eau Claire go up against Utica at 7PM. Before that game there is another semi-final game to be played. Friday's early game will see the Oswego State Lakers take on the Norwich Cadets in a rematch from the 2006-07 season. Norwich and Oswego State have met five times with the first meeting coming in 1978 and resulting in a 5-3 win for the Cadets. NU holds a slim 3-2 lead in the series, highlighted by beating the Lakers 2-1 in the 2003 National Championship game at Kreitzberg Arena. Oswego won the last meeting in the 2007 NCAA Quarterfinals with a 3-0 shutout win over the Cadets at the Campus Center Ice Arena on their way to winning the 2007 National Championship. Since 2009, Norwich and Oswego State are the only two teams to reach the last four NCAA semifinal rounds. The Lakers are the only team who has not won a national title, as Norwich won the national championship in 2010. Friday is the first time the programs have met during this four-year stretch.

So now that both teams are set for faceoff, lets take a look at how they both got here. Norwich comes into this one with a record of 24-3-1, gaining at at large bid after losing the ECAC East final to Babson. Norwich got revenge on Babson for the loss, beating them in their opening round game to advance to the final four. As for Oswego, they reached the tournament by winning the SUNYAC title over Plattsburgh, and then dispatching Adrian in overtime last week to reach the final four again. Norwich has won three national championships in school history: 2000, 2003 (beating Oswego) and 2010. This will mark 11th time Norwich will play in the Frozen Four, with their appearances coming in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and this year. Oswego comes in with one national championship to their credit, that was won back in 2007. This will mark the 7th time Oswego has made it to the Frozen Four, with previous appearances coming in 1987, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, and this year.

So now that we know the history of these two programs in the tournament, lets get right down to it and see how the two clubs stack up head to head.

Team Offense:
Oswego: 4.86 Goals per Game #2 in Nation
Norwich: 4.04 Goals per Game #6 in Nation

Team Defense:
Oswego: 1.75 Goals per Game #3 in Nation
Norwich: 1.57 Goals per Game #1 in Nation

Power Play:
Oswego: 41 for 151 for 27.15% #5 in Nation
Norwich: 18 for 103 for 17.48 #52 in Nation

Penalty Kill:
Oswego: 100 of 117 for 85.5% #17 in Nation
Norwich: 70 of 83 for 84.3% #21 in Nation

Top Scorers:

Oswego:
Paul Rodrigues- 15 Goals 30 Assists 45 Points
Luke Moodie- 22 Goals 21 Assists 41 Points
Chris Muise- 10 Goals 23 Assists 33 Points
Chris Brown- 7 Goals 21 Assists 34 Points
Jon Whitelaw- 10 Goals 20 Assists 30 Points
Jesse McConney- 4 Goals 22 Assists 26 Points

Norwich:
Travis Janke- 15 Goals 23 Assists 38 Points
Colin Mulvey- 19 Goals 18 Assists 37 Points
Tory Allan- 10 Goals 21 Assists 31 Points
Kyle Thomas- 12 Goals 15 Assists 27 Points
Pier-Olivier Cotnoir- 12 Goals 12 Assists 24 Points
Shane Gorman- 8 Goals 14 Assists 22 Points
Chris Duszynski- 6 Goals 14 Assists 20 Points

Goaltending:

Oswego:
Andrew Hare- 20-4-0 1.73 GAA .935 SV % 6 SO
Dan Jones- 2-0-0 1.56 GAA .934 SV %
Justin Gilbert- 2-0-0 1.55 GAA .944 SV%

Norwich:
Chris Czarnota- 13- 1- 1 1.46 GAA .920 SV%   3 SO
Matic Marinsek- 9- 2- 0 1.97 GAA ,896 SV%  4 SO
Parker Carroll- 2- 0- 0 0.58 GAA .950 SV% 1 SO

Puck drops at 4PM from Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid NY! Winner goes on to play for the National Championship Saturday Night!

(Stats Provided by Oswego State Athletics, Norwich Athletics and USCHO.com)

Paul Rodrigues Continues Overtime Heroics as Oswego Advances Past Adrian

Another overtime game for the Oswego State Lakers, and another chance for Senior Winger Paul Rodrigues to shine when the lights are the brightest. For the 4th time in his Laker career, and the 2nd time in as many years in the NCAA Tournament, Paul Rodrigues scored an overtime winner to push the Lakers past Adrian and advance to the NCAA Division III Final Four for the fourth year in a row.

This was the first time the Oswego State Lakers had to play an opening round game of the NCAA Torunament on the road. It was in Adrian Michigan to play a very game Bulldogs team, and Oswego had revenge on its mind from the get-go of this one. These two clubs met back in the 2011 final four in Minnesota, a game in which Adrian topped Oswego 5-3, so you just know Oswego was looking for payback in this contest.

Oswego came out flying in the opening period of play, dominating Adrian for almost the entire period. In the first period alone, Oswego actually outshot Adrian 21-6, putting Adrian goalie Scott Shackell under siege for most of that period. Oswego was only able to fire one puck past Shackell in that opening frame, and it came at the 6:11 mark of the period on the power play, when Chris Muise buried his 10th of the year. Musie took a beautiful feed from Chris Brown and was able to walk out off the wall and bury the shot high on Shackell to give Oswego the lead. That 1-0 Oswego lead would hold up through the opening twenty minutes.

Once the second period got underway, the ice seemed to tilt a bit more in favor of the Bulldogs. Adrian controlled play for most of that middle period and were able to outshoot Oswego 14-9 in the period. Adrian came out and stormed Oswego goalie Andrew Hare. Adrian broke through at the 3:35 mark when Josh Ranalli scored, his 18th of the season, on the powerplay, to pull Adrian even. The Bulldogs carried momentum from that goal and kept pressing the attack. Less than two minutes later, at the 5:30 mark of the 2nd period, Adrian jumped out to a 2-1 lead thanks to Shaquille Merasty's 22nd of the year. The goal itself was good, but the play by Josh Cousineau to get Marasty the puck was off the charts. So Adrian had control of the game and had a one goal lead. That lead would not last as with 1:10 to go in the middle period, Laker Captain Jon Whitelaw scored his 10th of the season to pull Oswego even at two.

So the teams entered the 3rd period locked at two. Oswego controlled a good chunk of the play in that 3rd period, and both teams had their scoring chances, both Andrew Hare and Scott Shackell let nothing by them, and the game tugged along into overtime. Oswego and Adrian both had unbelievable scoring chances in the extra period and Shackell and Hare both had to make HUGE saves to keep their team in it. Finally after a small defensive breakdown by Adrian, Paul Rodrigues had a golden chance and didn't miss, scoring his 15th of the season at the 13:32 mark of Overtime to send the Lakers to Lake Placid and the final four with the 3-2 overtime win.

Scott Shackell play an outstanding hockey game, making 52 saves in the loss, and dropping his final record on the season to 11-2-2. Andrew Hare was equally impressive in the victory, making 31 saves in the win, and improving his record on the year to 20-4-0.

Here now, thanks to WNYO sports director Mike Keeley are the video highlights from this outstanding hockey game:


So with the victory, the Oswego State Lakers advance to the Final Four for the fourth time in as many years. This year the final four takes place at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid New York. The final four is now all set. In the first game Oswego State will take on Norwich at 4PM and Wisconsin-Eau Claire will play Utica at 7PM. Full preview of the Oswego Norwich game will be provided at the end of this week.

(Photo provided by the Oswego State Athletics Department. Video Provided by WNYO Sports)

Vikings Trade Harvin to Seahawks

With Free Agency in the NFL right around the corner, some teams have already made noise this offseason. First their was the Tom Brady Extension, then Joe Flacco gets a new contract from the Ravens. Alex Smith then gets shipped off to the Kansas City Chiefs. Now we can add Percy Harvin's name to the list of players making noise this year. It was announced today that the Minnesota Vikings have traded receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks. In return, the Vikings will receive undisclosed draft picks. The trade agreement, contingent on Harvin passing a physical, was earlier reported by Fox Sports. Seattle has a connection to Harvin. The team's offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, held the same job with Minnesota when the Vikings drafted Harvin in 2009.

Last season, the Seahawks finished 27th in the NFL in passing yards with 189.4 yards per game, and their leading receiver was Sidney Rice who had 50 catches for 748 yards and 7 touchdowns.Last year Harvin was the Vikings leading receiver with 62 catches for 677 yards and 3 touchdowns, while the Vikings were 31st in the league in passing yards last season with 171.9 yards per game. In his career, the 24-year-old Harvin has 7,168 all-purpose yards in his four-season career with 29 touchdowns (20 receiving, five return, four rushing). He also has 280 receptions in 54 career games.

So what could this move mean for both football clubs? Well first things first the Seahawks have to make sure that Harvin will be 100% healthy by the time the regular season gets going. When he's healthy, Precy Harvin can turn out to be one of the more lethal deep threats in the league. Adding him to the roster will give Seattle QB Russel Wilson more targets to throw to next year and will surely help spread out an already potent Seattle attack.

As for what the Vikings get, it doesn't look like much right now on paper. All they are reported to get is an undisclosed number of draft picks. In retrospect I can understand this trade, because last year Harvin was unhappy with the Vikings organization and requested a trade, but that didn't exactly work out for him. So he gets the trade now and it appears that both sides win out on the deal.

So Harvin has been traded to the Seahawks. With the way things have been moving this offseason in the NFL, there could be more major news to come so stay tuned!

NCAA Quarterfinal Preview Oswego vs Adrian

The field for the NCAA Division III National championship is now down to the elite eight. And for the 2nd time in three years the Oswego State Lakers and Adrian Bulldogs will go head to head in the tournament. The winner earns a spot in the Frozen Four of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament against the winner of Norwich/Babson. The teams have split the all-time series, 1-1. Oswego State won the first matchup, 5-2, in Oswego on Jan. 8, 2010. Adrian took the most recent matchup, a 5-3 win in the 2011 national semifinal in Minneapolis, Minn.

To get a better understanding of just how good these two clubs have been this season, here's a few interesting stats on how these teams have fared in the past. Both squads registered 23 wins this season, which is tied for the best in Division III with St. Norbert and Norwich. Oswego State is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance and program-best fourth straight, while Adrian is making its third overall appearance. The Lakers are 6-3-0 in games decided by two goals or less, while the Bulldogs are 11-0-3. - Oswego State is 18-1-0 when scoring the first goal. Adrian is 14-1-1 in Arrington Ice Arena this year and 16-0-1 when putting the first goal on the scoreboard. The Lakers are 17-0-0 when leading after the first period and 22-0-0 when leading after two frames. Oswego State likes to get out to a fast start, as it has out-scored its opponents 55-22 in the first period. Adrian finishes games strong, as it has out-scored its opponents 54-16 in the third period. Both squads are highly successful when scoring power-play goals, as Oswego State is 17-2-0 when scoring with an extra attacker compared to Adrian, which is 18-1-3. Seventeen of the Lakers' 23 wins have been by three goals or more, while 12 of Adrian's 23 wins have also been by three goals or more.

So now that we have got you fired up, lets take a closer look at how these two clubs match up head to head. The following is stats nationally, and where both teams rank in Division III Hockey.

Team Offense:
Oswego: 4.93 Goals per Game #2 in Nation
Adrian: 5.00 Goals per Game #1 in Nation

Team Defense:
Oswego: 1.74 Goals Per Game #3 in Nation
Adrian: 2.19 Goals per Game T-13th in Nation

Power Play:
Oswego: 40 for 147 for 27.21% #5 in Nation
Adrian: 42 for 130 for 32.31% #1 in Nation

Penalty Kill:
Oswego: 97 of 113 for 85.8% #13 in Nation
Adrian:117 of 141 for 83% #25 in Nation

Top Scorers:

Oswego:
Paul Rodrigues- 14 Goals 30 Assists 44 Points
Luke Moodie- 22 Goals 19 Assists 41 Points
Chris Muise- 9 Goals 23 Assists 32 Points
Chris Brown- 7 Goals 23 Assists 30 Points
Jon Whitelaw- 9 Goals 20 Assists 29 Points
Chris Ayotte- 13 Goals 20 Assists 23 Points

Adrian:
Zach Graham- 14 Goals  24 Assists  38 Points
Shaquille Merasty-  21 Goals  16 Assists  37 Points
Josh Cousineau- 12 Goals  24 Assists  36 Points
Josh Ranalli- 17 Goals  17 Assists  34 Points
Shelby Gray- 12 Goals  14 Assists  26 Points
Andrew Dovey-  11 Goals  10 Assists  21 Points

Goaltending:

Oswego:
Andrew Hare- 19-4-0 .935 SV%   1.74 GAA 6 SO
Dan Jones- 2-0-0 .934 SV%  1.56 GAA
Justin Gilbert- 2-0-0 .944 SV%  1.55 GAA

Adrian:
James Hamby- 12-0-1 .914 SV%  2.14 GAA 1 SO
Scott Shackell- 11-1-2 .931 SV%  1.91 GAA 1 SO

Puck Drop for this game is set for 7PM from Arrington Ice Arena!

(Stats provided by the Oswego State Athletic Department and USCHO.com)

Mark Teixeira Hurt Wrist Will Be Out Two Months

Spring training hasn't exactly been too kind to the New York Yankees so far this year. First they lose Curtis Granderson for a stretch with a broken arm. Now it has been announced that the team will be without the services of Mark Teixeira for the next eight to ten weeks with a strained right wrist. According to sources, Teixeira was hurt swinging a bat Tuesday in an indoor cage during pregame warmups with the U.S. WBC team. Initially, Teixeira was expected to be out eight to 10 days, but Teixeira was examined by Yankees doctors in New York on Wednesday and a diagnosis of eight to 10 weeks was given. It’s the second major injury for the Yankees during spring training this year. Outfielder Curtis Granderson broke his right forearm when he was hit by a pitch Feb. 24. He will also be sidelined until early May. So the Yankees are in a bit of trouble with two of their biggest power hitters from last season out of the lineup.

So with the injuries to Tex and Granderson, a nice chunk of home run power is gone from the lineup. Last season Tex had 24 homers and 84 RBI, while Granderson paced the club with 43 homers and 106 RBI. That's a lot of power and run production missing from the Yankees lineup for the first month or two of the season. With Granderson out of the lineup it looks as if Juan Rivera will be the everyday left fielder to Curtis comes back from the injury. Rivera put up some good numbers with the team last year, but didn't really play everyday. Having Granderson out will be a factor on the team for the first few months. It won't be a huge factor but it will still be a factor.

As for Teixeira that leaves a bit more of a question mark as to what the Yankees will do at first base ion his absence. Right now it appears that the club will have Kevin Youkilis play at first and have Eduardo Nunez possibly play 3rd base. The reason Youkilis was brought in to begin with was as an insurance policy at 3rd with Alex Rodriguez out of the lineup for a good chunk of the season following hip surgery over the winter. So now with Tex being out hurt it looks like the smart move would be to put Youkilis at 1st and start Nunez at 3rd.

What will the Yankees opening day roster look like with all the injuries right now? Only time will tell.

SUNYAC Championship to Oswego. Ticket Punched For NCAA Tournament

For the Oswego State Lakers, redemption is a sweet thing! Last season the SUNYAC Championship game was played in the Campus center between Oswego and Plattsaburgh. The Cardnials took that game, and the title. Ever since that night, Oswego has wanted another shot to get back at the Cardinals for the title, and they got it over the weekend. Aside from last season's loss, Oswego dropped both games in the regular season this year to Plattsburgh, the last loss coming in Plattsburgh just two weeks ago. So with all of this fresh on the minds of the players of both teams, they hit the ice with a conference title and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line. The game didn't disappoint.

Both teams came out of the gate with energy and excitement, but by the final horn it was Oswego who walked away with the 4-0 victory and the SUNYAC title, the 9th in the programs history. Oswego jumped on the board first at the 15:12 mark of the period thanks to Tyler Leimbrock's 11th goal of the season, with Dave Titanic and Matt Singelton setting him up. That would be the only marker of the opening period, one in which both clubs had ample chances to score. Oswego doubled Plattsburgh in shots in the period 10-5 and came away with a one goal lead after twenty minutes.

To the middle period we go, and it was one in which the speed and pace of the game really started to pick up. Shots in the period favored Oswego again, 14-11, but it was obvious that Plattsburgh had turned up the intensity. The Lakers added to their lead at the 18:29 mark when Luke Moodie connected for his 21st of the season, with Paul Rodrigues and Nick Rivait setting him up. The goal gave Oswego a much needed two goal advantage. After the goal things started to get chippy between the two clubs, and the penalty box got a tad crowded by the start of the 3rd and final period.

Oswego would ice the game away in the 3rd with two more goals. First at the 7:54 mark, Luke Moodie scored his 2nd of the night and 22nd of the year.  Moodie had come off on a line change and was hit with a perfect pass in the slot and buried it five hole to put Oswego up 3-0. Chris Brown and Chris Muise got the helpers on the Moodie goal. Oswego put the nail in the coffin when Jon Whitelaw scored his 9th of the season, an empty netter, at the 13:59 mark to seal the 4-0 victory. Paul Rodrigues and Jesse McConney got the assists on the play. Plattsburgh outshot Oswego 14-9 in the 3rd period, and Andrew Hare had to stand on his head at times not only in that period but in the entire game, to hold on to the shutout. Oswego Outshot Plattsburgh 33-30 for the night/

Mathieu Cadieux took the loss for Plattsburgh, dropping his record for the year to 15-7-1, while he made 29 saves in the loss. Andrew Hare picked up the win for Oswego, improving his record on the year to 19-4-0, while he made 30 saves in the shutout victory. For Hare, this was his 6th shutout of the year, and by far his biggest shutout of the year to date.

The win marks the 9th SUNYAC title won by Oswego, and their fourth straight apperance in the NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament. The Bracket has already been announced for the Tournament and Oswego will travel, for the first time to Adrian college to take on the Bulldogs. Start time for the game will be announced later this week after the opening games of the tournament have been played.

Norwich, St. Norbert, and Utica College, Oswego and Adrian all received opening round bye's. The tournaments opening round will take place on Wednesday March 6th and will see the following matchups: Babson will play Wentworth Inst. Mass.-Dartmouth will take on Bowdoin and St. John's (Minn.)takes on Wis.-Eau Claire. Times of those games are still to be determined. As for the second round it looks like this: Norwich takes on the winner of the Babson Wentworth game, Oswego will play Adrian College, St Norbert will play the winner of the Wisconsin St. Johns game, and finally Utica will host the winner of the Bowdoin Mass-Dartmouth game.

Full preview of the Oswego and Adrian matchup will be posted later this week!

(Photo provided by Bob Clark Photography/Facebook)

Oswego Plattsburgh Battle For SUNYAC Crown

For the 3rd time this year, the Oswego State Lakers and Plattsburgh State Cardinals will do battle. This time however there is more than just pride on the line. On the line tomorrow night is a SUNYAC conference championship and automatic bid into the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament is at stake. Both squads have met five times in the last six seasons to determine the SUNYAC Champion. Oswego State won its eighth and most recent SUNYAC title at the end of the 2009-10 season. The Cardinals won their 21st conference title last year. Plattsburgh swept the season series by the scores of 2-1 and 4-3, and have a current three-game winning streak over the Lakers dating back to last year's SUNYAC Championship.

To help get you geared up for the game, here's some good numbers to crutch about both squads. Both squads have been shut out once this season. Oswego State was shut out in a 6-0 loss at Utica, while Plattsburgh's lone shutout was in a 1-0 loss to Norwich. The Lakers are 6-3-0 in games decided by two goals or less, while the Cardinals are 7-5-0. Oswego State is 13-2-0 at home this season and 17-1-0 when scoring the first goal. Plattsburgh is 5-3-1 on the road this year and 14-1-1 when putting the first goal on the scoreboard. The Lakers are 16-0-0 when leading after the first period and 21-0-0 when leading after two frames. Oswego State likes to get out to a fast start, as it has out-scored its opponents 54-22 in the first period. Plattsburgh finishes games strong, as it has out-scored its opponents 39-12 in the third period. Both squads are highly successful when scoring power-play goals, as Oswego State is 17-2-0 when scoring with an extra attacker compared to Plattsburgh, which is 16-2-1. Sixteen of the Lakers' 22 wins have been by three goals or more, while 12 of Plattsburgh's 19 wins have also been by three goals or more.

So now that you know a little about the two teams lets take a closer look at a stats breakdown. Below will be the conference numbers and ranks for both clubs.

Team Offense:
Oswego- 5.00 Goals per Game #1 in conference
Plattsburgh- 3.94 Goals per Game #3 in conference

Team Defense:
Oswego- 1.71 Goals per Game #2 in conference
Plattsburgh- 1.53 Goals per Game #1 in conference

Powerplay:
Oswego- 31 for 98 for 31.63% #2 in conference
Plattsburgh- 25 for 98 for 25.51% #3 in conference

Penalty Kill:
Oswego- 65 of 76 for 85.5% #2 in conference
Plattsburgh- 56 of 62 for 90.3% #1 in conference

Top Scorers:

Oswego:
Paul Rodrigues- 14 goals 28 assists 42 points
Luke Moodie- 20 goals 19 assists 39 points
Chris Muise- 9 goals 22 assists 31 points
Chris Brown- 7 goals 22 assists 29 points
Jon Whitelaw- 8 goals 20 assists 28 points

Plattsburgh:
Jared Docking- 11 goals 19 assists 30 points
Luke Baleshta- 7 goals 19 assists 26 points
Kevin Emmerling- 14 goals 10 assists 24 points
Dillan Fox- 9 goals 11 assists 20 points
Mark Constantine- 9 goals 7 assists 16 points
Connor Gorman- 5 goals 11 assists 16 points

Goaltending:
Oswego
Andrew Hare- 18-4-0 1.82 GAA .932 SV % 5 SO
Dan Jones- 2-0-0 1.56 GAA .934 SV%
Justin Gilbert- 2-0-0 1.55 GAA .944 SV%

Plattsburgh:
Mathieu Cadieux- 15-6-1 1.71 GAA .930 SV % 2 SO
Josh Leis-  2-0-03.09 GAA .872 SV%
Sam Foley- 2-0-0 0.00 GAA 1.000 SV% 1 SO

Puck drop is set for 7PM from the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego!

(Statistics provided by the Oswego State Athletics Department and USCHO.com)