December 28, 2011
Model of resilience
Despite an injury to All-American goalie Paul Beckwith, Oswego rubbing shoulders with top teams in Division 3
by Matt Caputo/Correspondent
Oswego State is weathering the storm.
It’s only December and the USCHO.com national rankings place it second in the country, this despite losing All-American goaltender Paul Beckwith to injury. Still, there’s a lot of hockey left to play and it’s the time of year when every loose puck matters.
“We’ve had some adversity,” said ninth-year Oswego coach Ed Gosek. “Our starting goaltender, Paul Beckwith, was hurt in our very first game in the first period versus Elmira, so, we’ve been able to overcome that.
“(Back-up goalies) Andrew Hare and Daniel Jones have both stepped up and proven they can do the job. It’s attributed to the fact that these guys are a tight group that they’ve been able to pull together.”
Despite early obstacles, Oswego won its first three games, outscoring opponents 19-5. The Lakers suffered a tough loss to Utica on Utica’s home ice, a notoriously difficult venue for opponents. After posting wins over Geneseo and Brockport, Oswego tied Morrisville before picking up a pair of victories over Fredonia and Buffalo State to raise its record to 7-1-1 heading into December.
“I thought we played three pretty good periods against Fredonia and Buffalo State. The score didn’t show it, but we did a lot of good things well,” said Gosek. “We made good decisions and didn’t turn pucks over; we drove the net hard. I think we did a better job of puck management in our own end and there weren’t too many unforced turnovers in our own end.”
Hovering over the quality start is the uneasy reality that the Lakers are not sure if they have lost Beckwith for the entire season. As New York Hockey Journal went to press, Beckwith was seeking a second opinion on his ACL injury.
The Lakers sailed all the way to the Division 3 Frozen Four last year, losing 5-3 to Adrian College in the national semifinals at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Beckwith and current senior Ian Boots were recognized by the American Hockey Coaches Association as Division 3 Reebok Men's Hockey All-America East honorees.
Beckwith was named a first -team selection after posting a 19-3-0 record that included two shutouts. During the regular season, he set a new conference record for wins in a season with 15 and paced the league in goals-against average (1.87) and save percentage (.932).
In Beckwith’s absence, the Lakers have looked to juniors Hare and Jones to carry the load, for as long as needed.
“I’d probably say our most consistent player this season has been our goaltender, Andrew Hare,” said Gosek, the only coach in program history to claim a Division 3 championship, winning it in 2007 with a 23-3-3 overall record. “He’s been very solid; he hasn’t let in any so-called weak goals and, if it starts with your goaltending, he’s been our most consistent player. He hasn’t been a star, but he hasn’t had a poor performance, either.”
So far this year, Hare has compiled a 6-1-1 record in the crease and won the confidence of his coach. He had played in just two games last year, earning his first victory against an NCAA-tournament bound Curry team on Jan. 8 in a 3-0 shutout. Hare transferred from Division 1 Niagara, where he played in 13 games with the Purple Eagles, finishing with a 3-6-0 record in 2009-10.
“I came in here hoping to prove myself and get in some games,” said Hare, a native of Burlington, Ont. “I never saw it coming; I never saw myself playing this much. I just thank my coaches and teammates for having the confidence in me. I felt ready weeks before the season started. Goaltending is one of those situations where you’ve got to be prepared at all times.”
Besides Hare, other players have stepped up. Juniors Paul Rodrigues and Jon Whitelaw have emerged as the team’s top scorers with 14 points apiece entering December. Rodrigues (five goals, nine assists) and Whitelaw (four goals, 10 assists) are on the same line with the Lakers’ third-leading scorer Paul Moodie (5-6-11) and have met expectations the coaching staff has held for them for a while.
“Those three are crafty players that can skate and can finish,” said Gosek. “If you look at that line, they’ve been pretty consistent through our first nine games. Quite frankly, we felt that they’d underachieved last year and that they did not play to their potential last year. This year, they’ve had something to prove, and our coaching staff challenged them to raise their level of play and that’s what we’re seeing.”
And it’s not just the coaching staff that has noticed the production of Rodrigues, Whitelaw and Moodie’s line.
“That line brings a good sense of chemistry and offense that has helped our team have the success it has had so far this season,” Hare said. “They are guys I would hate playing against if I were on the other team.”
The elevated games of players like Hare, Rodrigues and Whitelaw have complimented the play of the Lakers’ upperclassmen. Boots, a second team All-American last season, has totaled 4-7-11.
Despite their early success, and the site of this year’s Frozen Four (nearby Lake Placid, N.Y.), the Lakers aren’t making any bold predictions.
“I got to witness the Frozen Four last year and, if we get there, I think our team is going to know what to expect and that good things are going to happen,” Hare said.
Matt Caputo can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com.
SMALL COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
Adam Place and Trevor Cope of Potsdam, and Mathieu Cadieux of Plattsburgh were the reigning SUNYAC Players of the Week at press time.
Place, a sophomore forward, scored two goals in each of Potsdam's victories over Geneseo and Brockport over the weekend. Cope recorded six points for Potsdam in the sweep. He leads all SUNYAC freshmen with 1.43 points per game.
Plattsburgh’s Cadieux earned back-to-back wins in goal for the Cardinals over the weekend. He leads the conference with a .938 save percentage. …
All games at this year’s Division 3 Frozen Four will take place at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. — the site of the famed 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympic gold-medal run for Team USA. Brooks, the legendary coach of that team, coached the St. Cloud State team that lost to Oswego in the national semifinals in 1987, the Lakers’ first-ever foray into the Frozen Four. …
Former Manhattanville College standout Mickey Lang is playing professionally with the Quad City Mallards of the Central Hockey League. In 14 games, Lang had posted 2-2-4 totals. In 88 career game with the Valiants, the 5-foot-10, 174-pound Lang, 25, produced 47 goals and totaled 93 points.
-- MATT CAPUTO
