The Lakers Are Done, But Clarkson Rolls On

Oswego State may have played their final hockey game this season, but a former Laker head coach still has his club in the thick of the division I playoff race. Clarkson's George Roll has led the Golden Knights to a 20-10-4 record in his fifth season at the helm. This year, the Knights won the Cleary Cup, awarded to the regular season champion of the ECAC, for the first time since 2001 with a 15-4-3 conference mark. Roll also earned his 200th career victory on Nov. 10 when the Knights beat Princeton 6-2. Clarkson was an impressive 14-1-1 on their home ice at the Cheel Arena this season (WNYO Sports was there for the lone loss).

WATCH/LISTEN TO THE KNIGHTS

The Golden Knights earned a bye into the ECAC quarterfinals as the top seed. They will host eighth-seeded Colgate, who eliminated Clarkson arch-rival St. Lawrence in the opening round. The best-of-three series begins Friday night at 7 p.m. You can hear Cool 95.3 FM's Bob Ahlfeld call the game on the web by clicking here. The student broadcast from WTSC 91.1 FM The Source can be heard here. You can even pony up eight American dollars and watch WCKN-TV's video feed combined with Ahlfeld's play-by-play over at B2Networks. Live stats will also be available here.

SERIES INFO

Clarkson and Colgate went toe-to-toe for 130 minutes this season. They combined for two goals as they skated to two ties. Inside College Hockey illustrates Clarkson's offensive struggles against Colgate in their latest power rankings, "The Golden Knights would like to watch tape of the goals they've scored against Colgate goalie Mark Dekanich in the last four years. The problem is, that tape would only last about 55 seconds."

Senior forward Steve Zalewski was the only Knight to score on Dekanich this season. He is the younger brother of Oswego State defenseman Rich Zalewski. Overall, Clarkson is 4-2-5 vs. Colgate under George Roll, including an ECAC semifinal victory in 2004. Colgate is just two seasons removed from their own ECAC regular season crown.

GEORGE ROLL

Clarkson coach George Roll took his first head coaching job with the Oswego State Lakers in 1997. He inherited a club that had finished a game over .500 the year before. In his first season, the Lakers achieved their best record in nearly a decade, finishing 17-13-2. Roll was named SUYAC Coach of the Year by his peers. Five years later, the Lakers won their first SUNYAC title in 12 years and earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Roll was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year again, becoming the first Laker coach to earn the honor twice.

Oswego State would advance to the 2003 National Championship to play Norwich after beating Wentworth and Middlebury. The Lakers led 1-0 in the third period on the Cadets' ice, but Norwich netted two goals before the final buzzer to take home the title. Oswego's impressive run earned Roll the head spot at Clarkson, where he had previously served as an assistant. Roll's success has continued there, leading the Golden Knights to the 2007 ECAC Tournament Championship and the 2008 ECAC Cleary Cup. This season, the Knights are in good position to earn consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years.

Ryan Maloney