Cortland, NY – Important home win for the Red Dragons this Friday. In a thrilling game, the team around head coach Joe Cardarelli won 3-2 against Oswego. In the direct duel between third and second place in the standings, important points were at stake for the SUNYAC Championship. After goals from O’Kane, Rockey, and Humphrey, Cortland is now tied with Oswego on points. Cortland’s forward Sam Christiano (20) said, “It was definitely back and forth, but we stuck to our game plan, got pucks in deep, had a good third, and we ended up burying two goals to take the lead.”
The Red Dragons got off to a difficult start, especially in the first period. After just 5 minutes, they conceded the first goal from Oswego’s Colin Vassalo. In a 1 vs 1 situation, he beat Nolan Suggs (1) in the bottom right corner. Oswego then got a two-minute penalty for checking. Cortland became more active and created a few chances. Mannetta (3) had a good shot from midfield, which Oswego’s goalie was able to save. The first period ended with 0-1 and a shot ratio of 7:10 in favor of Oswego. Especially at the beginning and end of the period, goalie Suggs prevented the Red Dragons from falling further behind.
Cortland came out much stronger in the second period. Oswego received a two-minute penalty for holding, and Cortland had several chances in the following power-play, including one by Colby Seitz (19). In the 25th minute, the Red Dragons were rewarded. Devlin O’Kane (26) scored with a well-placed shot in the top right corner after an assist from Nate Boak (6). Oswego was in the middle of a change and was not back in time to defend successfully. The equalizer was followed by an immediate setback with a goal from Oswego. Brandon Cohen scored during Cortland’s phase of pressure. The rest of the second period remained evenly matched with two-minute penalties on both sides. Garret Krieger (12) had several good chances, but the opposing goalie saved them all. The period ended with 17:18 shots and a score of 1-2 for Oswego.
Cortland finally turned up the heat in the final period. Thomas Rockey (16) scored to restore the tie in the 48th minute. During the power-play, a pass from Colby Seitz to the backcourt gave Rockey the opportunity to shoot. Oswego was penalized with a total of four two-minute penalties in the final period. The power-play situations were important for Cortland, who now put Oswego under increasing pressure. Just a few seconds later, Morley Phillips (17) seemingly scored the go-ahead goal, but it was disallowed by the referees. Phillips had previously committed a penalty for elbowing. In the 53rd minute, Cortland still managed to take the lead through a power-play. Conor Humphrey (9) scored in front of the net after a pass from JC Humphries (18), SUNYAC’s Rookie of the Week. Oswego tried everything in the final minutes to equalize again, but despite pulling the goalie for an extra attacker, they failed to get past the outstanding Suggs. The final game result was 3-2 for Cortland with nearly even shots of 29:30.
Cortland must face Hobart this Saturday. The league leader has not lost a single game in the current season. After the game, Sam Christiano said, “We celebrate this one for a little bit, but they [Hobart] are a good team. If we take one period at a time and stick to our game plan like we did today, I think we should give them a good run.”
The Red Dragons have two games left before the first round of the SUNYAC Championship begins on February 25.