Professor Graeff on NewsChannel 9

Oswego alum Kevin Torres interviewed Oswego professor Ron Graeff earlier this month for a story on wind energy.

Power Rankings: Ties Galore

Dunning:

No huge chances once again this week as there werent any big upsets.

St. Scholastica still holds down the top spot in my book even with the tie against Stout. However, a tie or a loss and they'll definitely lose the top spot to Plattsburgh. I almost switched them this week but as an Oswego fan, I can't give Plattsburgh that satisfaction!

Elmira jumps up a spot to #5 after a strong week destroying Hamilton 8-0 and Neumann 9-2. First night tie against Neumann I'll forgive since St. Norbert lost to Point they get the nod to round out of the top 5 this week. Huge weekend for Elmira upcoming against Manhattanville for a pair of games at the Playland Ice Casino.

Adrian holds steady at #7. 99 shots really?! The Bulldogs should have bought that poor Northland goalie a beer or two after the game for putting him through that abuse.

Manhattanville and Hobart come in next at #8 and #9. The Statesmen swept Lebanon Valley as expected while Manhattanville faced Western New England College at print time. As said before though, the Valiants have a huge oppurtunity to vault up the standings as they'll face their toughest challenge to their current 12 game unbeaten streak (13 with a win against WNEC) in Elmira this weekend.

Stevens Point had an oustanding weekend and their rewarded with the #10 slot. The Pointers swept Lake Forest and then downed St. Norbert 2-1 in overtime in one of the biggest wins in recent program history.

Stout drops to #11 and it's probably a bit unwaranted. They tied the #1 and #3 teams in my poll on the road. Not a bad thing to do but it also would have been nice to see them pull off a win. As sad as this sounds I probably wouldnt have punished them as much if they got a win and a loss. I know makes no sense at all but I dont care.

Oswego moves up two slots to #12 with their win over Cortland and coupled with some losses by teams around them in my previous rankings. The Lakers have won four straight and Tim Potter looks to be the answer Oswego was looking for in net now. He'll get his toughest test this weekend at home once again against Fredonia and Buff State.

Eau Claire checks in at #13. They throttled Lake Forest 7-1 after dropping a close contest to St. Norbert 2-1. The Blugolds make the sixth NCHA team ranked in my poll. Any doubts on the toughest conference in the country?

Trinity makes their first appearance in the rankings this week. They upended Norwich 4-2 which for some reason still didn't knock the Cadets out of the top 15 in the USCHO.com poll. I think if you put a 9-5-2 record next to a team like Buffalo State or Potsdam that team wouldnt be ranked. Norwich is ranked by their name. I'm willing to forgive the Bantams slipup to St. Mike's the next night. 11-4 is still pretty darn good.

Curry rounds out my top 15 this week. The Colonels tied Wentworth 6-6 in a shootout this weekend and then they crushed Becker 6-1. The Colonels are now 12-3-2 on the year but their strong out of conference schedule and record is impressive enough to keep them in the rankings.

Lakers Stay Perfect in 2009 with Win over Cortland

Photo: Jared Crast

The Oswego State Lakers stay perfect in 2009 with a 5-2 win at the hands of the visiting Cortland Red Dragons. The offense did not take long to get the crowd of over 2500 people into the game as Andrew Mather scored on the power play 46 seconds in with Brendan McLaughlin and Mark Lozzi getting the assists. Ryan Ellis scored 11 minutes later to make the score 2-0 with Hank Van Boxmeer and Eric Selleck picking up the assists. Ellis played on the line with Chris Laganiere and Selleck as Matt Whitehead was a last minute scratch.

Another change in the lineup was the "Energy Line" as Owen Kelly was centering Lozzi and Garren Reisweber with Derrell Levy was out of the lineup. Rich Zalewski scored his first of the season with a nice move shorthanded to increase the Laker lead to 3-0 after the first period. The second period lone highlight was Ellis scoring his second of the night and 10th of the season 3:23 in with the help of Selleck and Tyler Lyon. Chris Laganiere scored to make the lead grow to 5-0 early in the third period with Selleck and Ellis picking up the assists.

The Red Dragons got on the board as Gerard Heinz scored his first of the season with Justin Porpora and Patrick Palmisano having the helpers. Cortland scored again at the 12:07 mark when Ryan Markell beat Laker goalie Tim Potter for his 8th of the year with Frank Rizzo and Jake Saville getting the assists. Potter made 23 saves to pick up his fourth consecuative win. Cortland net-minder Mike Reilly stopped 27 shots while giving up all five goals to the Lakers. The three stars of the game were all from Oswego with Eric Selleck, Rich Zalewski and Chris Laganiere getting those honors.

Oswego moves into sole-possession of second in SUNYAC with 13 points with the win and now have a record of 12-5-1 and 6-2-1 in conference. Plattsburgh won both their games this weekend against Buffalo State and Fredonia and have a six point lead over the Lakers. The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Lakers as conference rivals Fredonia and Buffalo State come to the Campus Center and try to get revenge as the Lakers won both games during the Western New York swing. The puck drops at 7:00 both nights this upcoming weekend and you can hear all the action live right here on 88.9 FM WNYO and online at wnyosports.com

Steven Petty

Women's Hockey Split Series with Chatham

Photo: Tim Nekritz

The Oswego State Women's Hockey team split their weekend series with the Chatham Cougars by a win on Saturday 5-1 and a 4-3 OT loss this afternoon.

Saturdays action started early as Jessica Lister scored her third of the season on the Power Play at 1:35 in the opening frame with Stephanie Esposito and Erica Shapey getting the assists. The Lakers increased their lead to 2-0 when Angie Friesen scored her third of the year on the power play with Shapey and Esposito getting the assists at 4:45 in the second. Kelly Collins got her second of the season at the ten minute mark in the period with Ashley Meyers and Jillian Bergeron getting the helpers. The lead was up to 4-0 eight minutes later when Lauren Gilpin got her 2nd of the season with Collins and Bergeron with the assists. The Lakers added one more goal in the third period when Ashley Meyers scored her second of the year at 2:23 with Shapey and Sarah Hannon getting the helpers. Chatham would finally solve Emi Williams when Lauren Campbell scored her fourth of the season at the 7:12 mark. Williams would make 21 saves and earn her fourth win of the season. Friesen and Shapey would recieve 1st and 2nd stars of the game respectively.

Sunday ended up with a different outcome as the Cougars defeated the Lakers 4-3 in OT as Sara Forbes scored her second of the year 3:46 into the extra session. Kelly Collins had her first multi-goal game as a Laker as she scored twice in the game with Kendall Hanley, Angie Friesen and Krista Pattemore getting the assists. Ashley Meyers also scored for the Lakers. Erin Robson made 21 saves and her counterpart Brenn Scott made 48 for the Cougars.

With this weekend series, the Lakers are 6-9-1 on the season and 3-6-1 in the competitive ECAC West Division. The Lakers return to the Campus Center Ice Arena next weekend as they host the Cortland Red Dragons with a 3:00 PM faceoff on both Saturday and Sunday and you can hear all the action on 88.9 FM WNYO and wnyosports.com

Steven Petty

Men's Hoops Sizzles, Women Fizzle Against Brockport

The Oswego State men's basketball program used a 21-0 run early in the first half to cruise to a 85-59 victory over Brockport Tuesday night at the Max Ziel Gymnasium. The women's team fell to the Golden Eagles 65-47 earlier in the evening.

Idle Lakers Slip From USCHO.com Top 10

January 19, 2009

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Plattsburgh	(13)	12-1-2	288	1
2	St. Scholastica	( 4)	14-3-1	267	4
3	Wis.-Superior		15-2-1	260	2
4	St. Norbert	( 3)	14-4-0	255	3
5	Middlebury		10-2-1	212	5
6	Elmira		11-4-0	201	6
7	Wis.-Stout		12-5-0	167	7
8	Adrian		15-1-1	155	8
9	Hobart		12-4-0	149	9
10	Manhattanville		10-2-2	112	11
11	Oswego		11-5-1	106	10
12	Norwich		8-4-2	51	14
13	Wis.-Stevens Point		11-5-2	46	13
14	Hamline		10-4-1	45	12
15	Curry		11-3-1	34	NR
Others Receiving Votes: Wis.-Eau Claire 23, Trinity 14, New England College 6, Nichols 3, St. Olaf 3, Amherst 2, Neumann 1

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team hasn't played since Jan. 6, but that didn't keep USCHO.com pollsters from dropping the Lakers out of the top 10. Manhattanville, in the midst of an eight-game unbeaten streak, overtook Oswego State for the No. 10 ranking in today's poll.

SUNYAC-leading Plattsburgh (12-1-2) remained the nation's top team despite a 5-3 loss at unranked Skidmore last Tuesday. St. Scholastica moved in behind the Cards after dismantling previous-No. 2 Wis-Superior 7-2 last Saturday. The Saints were able to wrestle away four first-point votes, well short of Plattsburgh's total of 13.

The Yellowjackets round out the top three, falling just one spot after the five-goal defeat to the new No. 2. Positions five through nine remain unchanged from a week ago. Norwich swapped places with Hamline as Stevens Point remains sandwiched between them at No. 13. Curry is a new addition to the poll at No. 15 this week.

Ryan Maloney

Your Monday Evening Power Rankings

School	Ryan Maloney	Derek Dunning	Andrew Rohlin	Consensus
St. Scholastica	1	1	1	1
Plattsburgh	2	2	2	2
Wis-Superior	3	3	3	3
St. Norbert	4	4	4	4
Manhattanville	6	8	5	5
Middlebury	8	5	7	6
Elmira	9	6	6	7
Wis-Stout	7	9	10	8
Adrian	5	7	15	9
Hobart	11	10	8	10
Oswego	13	14	9	11
Curry	15	15	13	12
Wis-Eau Claire	-	13	11	13
Wis-Stevens Point	-	12	14	14
Norwich	10	-	-	15
Hamline	-	11	-	16
New England	-	-	12	17
Trinity	12	-	-	17
Nichols	14	-	-	19

Maloney:
CSS taking the top spot should surprise no one. They didn't just defeat a talented Superior club, they dismantled them. AJ Tucker made the Yelowjackets look silly with four goals and a helper. He's found the twine in three straight and Steve Bounds has a 1.00 GAA since getting beat four times in one period by Oswego State. Should be a great match-up this Friday when Stout invades Mars.

Plattsburgh dropped a shocker up in Saratoga Springs last Tuesday, snapping a 14-game unbeaten streak with a 5-3 loss to Skidmore. Even worse for the Cards, they had a nine day layoff to think about it. Bryan Hince faced 40 shots and let in four before a Thoroughbred empty netter sealed the deal. That marked just the fourth time in 41 games that Hince allowed four tallies. Fredonia will be the first to see whether Plattsburgh is slumping or experienced a one-night only letdown. Steele Hall Ice Arena is the stage for the 2007 SUNYAC Championship rematch on Friday.

Superior lands at #3 following the 7-2 drubbing at the hands of your new #1. The Jackets' record still sits at an impressive 15-2-1. Seventh place River Falls comes into Wessman on a two-game slide. Good opportunity for Superior to embark on another long string of W's heading into the regular season finale against the Saints.

Sr. Norbert appears to be rebounding nicely from a shocking loss to St. Thomas on Jan. 9. A tough weekend road trip will help show what the Green Knights are made of. Eau Claire and Stevens Point will be looking to close the gap in the NCHA standings to position themselves for a home ice game in the tourney.

Adrian rounds out my top 5. Same argument as always, you can only beat schools who are willing to schedule you. If they run the table they should absolutely be in the dance. That being said, could the West actually get five teams into the NCAA tournament this season? Given the strength of the NCHA alone, I wouldn't be opposed to it.

Dunning:
St. Scholastica takes over the top spot after drubbing Superior 7-2 mixed with Plattsburgh's first loss to Skidmore. Plattsburgh and Superior subsequently both drop down a spot with their losses.

No changes between spots 4-12. No losses for anyone in that group. Middlebury tied Williams and Stevens Point tied Eau Claire but no reason for anyone to move up or down.

Spots 13-15 continue to be a rotating carousel for me each week because no one wants to stay there as they lose everytime i rank them. River Falls quickly played their way out of my top 15 when they dropped both of their games this weekend. NEC had a horrendous week going 1-2 including a loss to PLYMOUTH STATE?! The Pilgrims are this week's Stout as they lost to Concordia last week.

Oswego finally makes an appearance again this week in the power rankings. The Lakers are 11-5-1 and wont play again until next weekend with Cortland coming to the Campus Center. It will be their first game in 18 days. The Lakers will look to continue their hot start to 2009 as they're a perfect 3-0 so far.

Curry rounds out the top 15 this week. I thought about Trinity and Norwich for this spot but I went with the Colonels instead. They've beaten Middlebury this year and are coming off a big come from behind victory on the road against Utica on Thursday.

Rohlin:

I will keep this brief being the new guy (editor's note: "HA!") and just address some of the more “controversial” points in my rankings. First off, it is clear to me that the 2 best conferences in D-III are the NCHA and ECAC-W. Teams from those conferences make up 70% of my top 10. To give you an insight into my madness, know that I used the strength of schedule rankings provided by the Krach because I think that is an important indicator of how good a team is; not only how good you are, but how good your opponents are.

Ranking St. Scholastica #1 starts the controversy right off the bat I suppose. However, with Plattsburgh losing to Skidmore and CSS beating the #2 ranked team in the nation, I give the Saints the nod for the top spot. Being 5-2 in the NCHA is a pretty big feat and they haven’t lost since the 21^st of November.

I have Manhattanville pretty high as well. But they are 10-2-2, have beaten both Elmira and Hobart, and haven’t lost since the 8^th of November, 2^nd longest streak in D-III. So they round out my top 5.

I suppose Middlebury is probably too low, but I couldn’t justify putting them above 7. They haven’t beaten an elite team this year in my opinion. Sure beating St. Thomas and Norwich are good wins, but both of those teams are performing below expectations.

Say what you will, but I have Oswego 9th. Some may say that is too high, however I have a feeling that whenever Oswego is not performing up to expectations, they are ranked too high for people’s liking. However, they have put together some strong showings since losing to Plattsburgh. I think if this team gets solid goaltending and plays up to their potential every night they can make some serious noise in the second half. However, if they don’t beat Plattsburgh at least once, they don’t have a shot at the NCAAs.

I like Curry’s record and the fact they’ve beaten Middlebury and tied M’ville. NEC is ranked above them since they’ve beaten Curry twice even though they’ve stumbled a bit as of late.

Finally I have Adrian and Neumann rounding out the poll. Neumann gets a piece of the pie because they have the second toughest SOS this year and are the only team to beat Adrian – everyone’s beloved underdog. They are also second in points in the 2^nd toughest division in D-III and have not lost to Manhattanville in 3 games this year (2 wins, 1 tie). They tie with Adrian and the only reason I even ranked Adrian is because they have the longest winning streak in the nation and thrashed Neumann in their rematch on Nov. 2^nd.

When your SOS is 52 out of 71 teams, it doesn’t matter as much how badly you beat teams. I realize it’s not their fault that no one is scheduling them and I’m not saying they’re a bad team. I just don’t think they’re as good as people are saying they are since they play in the worst conference in D-III and have only beaten 1 non-conference opponent that is over .500. I will be very interested to see how they fare against the U.S. team. Perhaps that game will be able to prove me wrong. Either way, I’m looking forward to a very exciting spring semester of hockey.

Women's Hockey Lets Late Lead Slip to Sacred Heart

Oswego, N.Y. - Erin Robson (pictured) occupied the net for the first time since Dec. 5 as Oswego State played host to Division I Sacred Heart Saturday at the Campus Center. The junior played a stellar 60 minutes between the pipes, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Lakers from dropping their third straight game, 4-3.

The Pioneers cracked the board early as defenseman Brittany Hartman snuck a shot from the high slot under Robson's pads. The weak goal gave Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead less than a minute in, but it also seemed to spark Robson. The backstop made nearly 30 consectutive saves over the next 40 minutes, allowing her teammates enough time to get two markers of their own: Jenna Kirkwood and Jessica Lister each scored their second goal of the season on second period power plays. The Lakers made their way to the dressing room with a hot goaltender, efficient special teams play, and a one-goal lead.

The momentum would leave Oswego State's side in the third when defenseman Ashley Meyers went to clear the puck from deep in her own end. Meyers picked the puck up in the right wing corner and tried to send it up the boards. Instead, she fed it right to Pioneer forechecker Jamie Mey who promptly slid a flat pass across ice to Gina Arnone who one-timed it bast Robson, 2-2.

Undeterred, the Lakers looked as though they would take the lead just three minutes later when Angie Friesen secured a takeaway and the Pioneer end and centered the puck for Erica Shapey. The pass sailed wide of Shapey's stick and was deflected out to the clue line where it hit Lauren Fontain right on the tape. Sacred Heart's leading scorer quickly raced down ice and buried a backhanded breakway shot inside the left post to give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead.

The Campus Center crowd of 167 Laker faithful would be silenced midway through the period as Sacred Heart took a two-goal lead. Taryn Lapiere sped up the right wing after a clean defensive-zone faceoff win and rifled a wrister over the shoulder of Robson. It was the third goal in a span of 6:41 for the Pioneers as Robson's hot streak had evidently cooled.

But Oswego State wasn't content to let the visitors make the 300-mile drive back to Faiffield, Ct. with a weekend sweep. Freshman Jillian Bergeron sent a wrister on net, which Pioneer goalie Amanda Nagel stopped easily. However, Nagel couldn't hold the puck and let it fall at the left post. That's when Kirkwood began to dig, poke, and push at the puck, sending it just over the red line for her second goal of the night. The Lakers were back within a goal at 4-3.

Kirkwood's marker put Oswego State in a position to add the extra attacker in the final minute of regulation. Robson finally made her way to the bench with 13 seconds remaining as the Lakers made their way into the Sacred Heart zone.

Freshman defenseman Kathryn Sbrochi had the best chance to force overtime, moving around a defender at the left point and moving into the high slot. Her shot deflected off of Nagel and came down in the crease, but the rookie backstop made a veteran move and laid flat on her back, freezing the puck underneath her with 2.8 seconds on the clock. The Pioneers won the ensuing faceoff to send Oswego State (5-8-1, 2-5-1) to their seventh straight home loss.

The Lakers will return to ECAC West play this weekend for a pair of games at Chatham. Oswego State is currently in seventh place of the conference standings, one point out of the final playoff spot.

Ryan Maloney

Women's Hoops Sweeps Western NY Road Trip; Men Split

The Oswego State basketball programs returned from Buffalo, NY Sarturday night with three more conference victories under their drawstrings. The women (7-7, 5-1) held on for a naroow 61-58 victory at Fredonia on Friday followed by a more comfortable 57-46 win at Buffalo State's Sports Arena. Their male counterparts managed to beat the Blue Devils by a slighty smaller margin, 69-67. However, the men (8-5, 4-2) failed to make it a perfect weekend for the Lakers when they fell 92-85 to the Bengals. Oswego State returns home Tuesday night for a men's and women's doubleheader against Brockport. Both games will air live on 88.9 FM WNYO Oswego and online at WNYOsports.com

• Women v. Fredonia Box
• Women v. Buffalo State Box
• Men v. Fredonia Box
• Men v. Buffalo State Box

Ryan Maloney

Women's Hockey Smoked by Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart lit the lamp five times on Emi Williams en route to a 5-1 victory over Oswego State Friday night at the Campus Center Ice Arena. Kendra Lemire scored the lone Laker goal as the girls fell to 5-7-1 on the season. The same two teams are back in action tonight in Oswego. Tune into 88.9 FM WNYO at 7 p.m. or click the box below to hear the call.


Ryan Maloney

Power Rankings: Midge Edition

1. Adrian – Everyone shut up.

2. Oswego – Modest… and also gives something to strive for.

3. Amherst – My buddy Covelli goes there, great guy. And… they’re named the LORD JEFFS.

4. Elmira - So Dunning lets me play broomball again.

5. St. Norbert - My mom said their parents were nice at the Frozen 4 two years ago.

6. Geneseo - Buddy smaller than me, Ryg, goes there. Him, Elliot and Forgione…great guys.

7. Fredonia - Beat us 2 years ago, got 3 buddies there too: Aonso, Soscia, and Boyce…great guys.

8. Nichols - Bernie Nichols was sick on Chicago.

9. Middlebury - Bill Beaney plays 3-on-3 small ice games and I like that. Also, that chick from Harry Potter is going there next year.

10. Babson - Named the Beavers, and two guys had sick white skates.

11. St. Michaels - I was recruited there, and my brother’s name is Michael.

12. Assumption - I assume… they will be there.

13. All the WIS-campuses - Never know which one is which, but my buddy Pat Lee plays at Stevens Point and he has white skates.

14. Finlandia - Must be tough playing with jet lag.

15. RIT - I know you thought they weren’t eligible, but that’s what they wanted us to think, so they’re in.

Honorable mention: Platty… because I feel like this is the year Bob shakes hands and my boy Willock with one bicep plays there.

Hoops Programs Sweep SUNYAC Basketball Doubleheader

The Oswego State men's and women's hoops team swept a SUNYAC doubleheader with Plattsburgh Tuesday night at the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Check out the highlights below.

Player of the Game: Kayla Ryan - 26 points, 7 rebounds

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Player of the Game: Tommy Downing - 23 points, 10 assists

Your Monday Nig... Slightly Late D3 Hockey Power Rankings

Derek Dunning:

Yes that right, count them 7 NCHA teams. The NCHA is by far the class conference of D-III hockey this year and although River Falls just is just above .500, they are arguably one of the hottest teams in the NCHA right now winning 7 of their last eight. The knock of River Falls for a long time has been their inability to win in the 2nd half of the season and down the stretch come playoff time, wouldn't it be something after their horrendous start if they went on to win the NCHA this year.

I dropped Middlebury again this week because of their slip up against Castleton. Another loss in the near future puts them in danger of dropping out of my top 10. Elmira and Adrian both moved up one after Stout had an ugly 4-1 loss to Concordia.

It's time to start giving Manhattanville their due as they have rebounded nicely from a 1-2 start to their season. They now sit at 8-2-2 with wins over Elmira, Hobart, and Nichols. They also tied Curry who beat Middlebury earlier this year.

Hamline and Stevens Point played to a 0-0 tie in a game that USCHO.com MCHA/NCHA writer Matthew Webb called one of the best D-III games he has seen in years. I figured it'd be poetic justice to stack the two right next to each other in the poll this week.

New England College enters my poll this week at #13. I thought about adding them last week but chose 14-1 Nichols instead. The Pilgrims get the nod though this week with a very quiet 9-2 record. They've beaten Castleton, Curry (2), Bowdoin, and Colby which have given some other top 15 teams problems.

Wisconsin Eau-Claire and River Falls round out my poll. Eau-Claire enters the poll this week at #14 after beating Hamline an Augsburg. They are a solid 12-5 in the toughest conference in the country and have a big date with Stevens Point this weekend followed up with St. Norbert the following Friday.

Ryan Maloney

This weekend illustrated the parity we are seeing in D3 hockey this season. I know one thing, WNYO's 2009 Selection Sunday Special will be very interesting. Pool C's picture is still fuzzy to me, distorted even further by the fact that a fourth school gets a bid this season. I'm getting ahead of myself, back to the here and now:

Plattsburgh is the only remaining unbeaten team in the NCAA...I mean ALL of the NCAA. Men's, women's, D1, D3, they're the last one standing. The five USCHO pollsters who did not vote them No. 1 this week should be tarred and feathered. The Cards look like a legitimate threat to run the table. They still have a challenging non-conference game with Middlebury on Jan. 27, but the Panthers have been in a bit of a slide since getting creamed by Team USA.

Superior continues to be just that in the West, but they'll have their hands full Saturday when they visit St. Scholastica. Neither team has lost in quite some time and are currently 1-2 in the powerful NCHA. That being said, I had a hard time ranking the Saints over St. Norbert since the Knights handed them a home shutout loss on Nov. 21. However, that was six weeks ago and I believe SNC is faltering after losing to St. Thomas. Not that the Tommies aren't good, they're a game over 500 halfway through a difficult schedule, but they're not the caliber of opponent SNC should fall to.

Adrian moves into the top five this week. Yes, they play a junk schedule. But they take their inferior opponents to the woodshed, which is about all you can ask of them until more top teams schedule them.

Middlebury falls three spots after a loss to Castleton. I'm keeping a very close eye on the Panthers right now. And by close eye I mean I have yet to see them play and probably won't this season. But, that's two losses to unranked foes in as many weeks. Their offense disappeared in both of those contests, recording just one goal against both Curry and Castleton.

Manhattanville leaps from No. 10 to No. 7 because they are one of the hottest teams in the nation. They faced a formidable opponent in Nichols and shut them out on the road. It is very much within the realm of possibility that they go into a two-game homestand with Elmira (Jan. 30 & 31) at 12-2-2 and on a 10-game unbeaten streak.

Stout falls two spots after an embarassing loss at the hands of Corcordia MN. CONCORDIA MN! The Devils won five straight including victories over three teams in Derek's top 15 and then have it snapped by a one-win team? As Oswego's announcer, the game against Morrisville naturally comes to mind...but this is way worse.

Norwich's loss has to put them behind Elmira again. They now have the same number of losses and the Eagles have beaten the Cadets twice. The purple and gold didn't show up until their third period at Potsdam, but a win is a win and five late goals against an at-times stingy Bears defense is impressive. Hobart hasn't played since their 6-3 drubbing of Oswego, so they stay put at No. 11.

Geneseo lost to an unranked Utica team 3-2, but winning at The Auditiorium is no small task. Plus, Utica is among the best of the rest outside of the top 15. If I only dropped Stout two spots for losing to Concordia MN....CON-freaking-CORDIA MN...than I can't be too harsh on the Ice Knights for this L. Oswego State is now hot on their tale at No. 13. The Lakers sat their best offensive weapon in Ryan Ellis and let an improved defense carry them to a 2-1 win over Hamilton Tuesday night. I've heard many people say that new backstop Tim Potter looks shaky, but his 3-0-0 record looks fine to me. Circle Valentine's Day on your calendar. If you've read this far into the post, it's likely a day you'll spend alone with your palm. But it's also the day the Lakers visit Geneseo. Just take care of your business before you tune into my broadcast.

Hamline remains despite the fact that they went winless and scored just twice this past weekend. Reason being, they've still only lost three games. I dabbled with the thought of putting Eau Claire ahead of them, but I'm still skeptical of the Blugolds after their 5-1 loss to St. Olaf on Jan. 2. As for Nichols, they were ranked #14 last week and I'm not dropping them out after a win and a tight loss to a top 10 team.

Oswego State Still N0. 10 in Latest USCHO Poll

A narrow home win over Hamilton wasn't enough to push the Oswego State men's ice hockey team up the USCHO.com division three national poll. The Lakers remain the No. 10 team in the nation, but picked up four voter points and are no longer tied with Hamline. The Pipers fell to No. 12 after going winless in a two-game weekend home stand.

Defending SUNYAC champion Plattsburgh is still the top-ranked team in the country, garnering 15 of a possible 20 first-place votes. The Cardinals are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the NCAA at 12-0-2. Geneseo fell from the top 15 after suffering a 3-2 loss at the Utica Auditorium, leaving arch-rivals Oswego State and Plattsburgh as the only ranked SUNYAC members.

January 12, 2009

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Plattsburgh	(15)	12-0-2	295	1
2	Wis.-Superior	( 5)	15-1-1	285	2
3	St. Norbert		13-4-0	235	3
4	St. Scholastica		12-3-1	234	6
5	Middlebury		8-2-0	208	4
6	Elmira		9-4-0	202	7
7	Wis.-Stout		10-5-0	167	5
8	Adrian		13-1-1	156	8
9	Hobart		10-4-0	153	9
10	Oswego		11-5-1	118	10
11	Manhattanville		8-2-2	78	13
12	Hamline		9-3-1	69	10
13	Wis.-Stevens Point		11-5-1	53	NR
14	Norwich		6-4-2	42	12
15	New England College		9-2-0	39	NR
Others Receiving Votes: Curry 21, Wis.-Eau Claire 20, Geneseo 10, St. Olaf 8, Nichols 6, Utica 1

Ryan Maloney

Men's Hoops Snaps Skid at Cortland

Stanley Francois earned his third straight double-double as the Oswego State men's basketball team beat Cortland 67-57 tonight at Corey Gym. Francois ten rebounds tied him with freshman Chad Burridge for the team high on the night, and his 15 points made him one of three Lakers to reach double figures.

Seniors Tommy Downing and Kyle Reuter led all scorers with 17 points apiece to help Oswego State end a three-game slide. Downing connected on 5-of-8 from long range to help send the Red Dragons to their fourth straight loss.

Cortland held a six point edge over the Lakers at the half, but poor second half shooting ultimately led to their downfall. The Red Dragons hit just six of their 32 field goal attempts after the half and were outscored 36-20.

Oswego State's conference record improved to 2-1 with the win, while their overall mark now sits at 6-4. Cortland fell to 4-7 on the year, with a SUNYAC record of 1-3. The Lakers will return to action Tuesday when they host PLattsburgh,

Ryan Maloney

Losing Streak Hits 5 For Women's Hoops

The Oswego State women's basketball dropped their fifth straight game tonight, 82-51 at SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragons never trailed and led for the final 38:50 to cruise to their fourth straight conference win this season.

Cortland's defense stymied the Lakers who put just one scorer in double figures; Kayla Ryan tallied 18 points to lead all scorers. The Red Dragons dominated the glass as well, outrebounding Oswego State 48-27.

The loss marks the first blemish on the Lakers' conference mark this season, dropping them to 2-1 in SUNYAC play. Oswego State's overall record now sits at 4-7, they have lost seven of nine after starting the season 2-0.

Ryan Maloney

Clarkson Too Much for Men's Hoops

Oswego State led by six points late in the second half, but ultimately fell 81-74 at Clarkson University Thursday night in men's basketball action. The defending Liberty League Champions put five scorers in double figures and shot better than 50% from the arc to win for the seventh time in their last eight games.

Laker senior Tommy Downing (pictured) dropped 17 points in the first half, but was held to six points in the second as the Golden Knights closed the game with a 21-8 run. Guard Kyle Reuter struggled to a 2-for-9 shooting night as Oswego State dropped their third in a row. Reuter has made just 17 of 46 field goal attempts during that span. Freshman Chad Burridge also had trouble finding the twine, going 2-for-12 on the night before fouling out.

Stanley Francois continus to impress in his debut season for the Lakers. The former Cobleskill Fighting Tiger recorded his second straight double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. He'll look to continue that streak tonight as the Lakers (5-4) visit Cortland in SUNYAC action at 8 p.m.

Ryan Maloney

Women's Hoops Blow 15-Point Halftime Lead, Lose 4th Straight

A 35-20 halftime lead wasn't enough to carry the Oswego State women's basketball team to victory at Clarkson University Thursday night. The Lakers shot 22.2 % from the field in the second half and were outscored 41-22 over the final 20 minutes by the Golden Knights. Clarkson won by a final of 61-57.

Oswego State senior Heather Merino led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Merino was the only starter immune to the shooting woes as Kayla Ryan, Rachel Kohrs, Tricia Sullivan, and Traci Bacon combined to shoot 12-for-43 on the night.

Former Liverpool High standout Lauren Pluchino (pictured) helped spark Clarkson's comeback. The sophomore came off then bench to score all 16 of her points after the half. She also managed to pull down ten rebounds to record a double-double and help the Knights improve their record to 5-6.

The loss drops Oswego State's record to 4-6 on the season. They have lost six of their last eight games since starting the season with a pair of victories. This marks the second straight year the Lakers have gone on a mid-season slide under coach Tracy Bruno as they lost six straight from Dec. 28, 2007 to Jan. 19, 2008.

Oswego State will look to end their skid tonight at Cortland. The Lakers will have their hands full as the Red Dragons have won seven of their last eight, including a 40-point victory over Clarkson on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on WNYOsports.com.

Ryan Maloney

Skakeups Expected in Monday's D3 Men's Hockey Poll

The Oswego State men's ice hockey team may be movin' on up in Monday's national poll. Several teams ranked in front of the Lakers fell in Friday night's action. Let's go to the scoreboard:

1	Plattsburgh				DNP
2	Wis.-Superior				W 5-4 @ Gustavus Adolphus
3	St. Norbert				L 2-3 @ St. Thomas
4	Middlebury				L 1-2 v. Castleton
5	Wis.-Stout				L 1-4 v. Concordia MN
6	St. Scholastica				W 5-4 @ St. Olaf
7	Elmira				DNP
8	Adrian				DNP
9	Hobart				DNP
10	Hamline				L 2-4 v. Eau-Claire
10	Oswego				DNP
12	Norwich				L 1-2 v. Tufts
13	Manhattanville				DNP
14	Geneseo				L 2-3 @ Utica
15	Bowdoin				L 2-4 @ New England

Yikes! Seven of the nine teams in action lose to unranked schools. Middlebury, Norwich, Bowdoin, St. Scholastica and St. Norbert are all back in action tonight and will look to minimize their drop in the polls with wins against non-ranked foes. Adrian takes the ice looking to move into the top five as they host Concordia WI.

Ryan Maloney