The Lakers will welcome Elmira, New England College, and St. Thomas to the Campus Center Ice Arena for the 2006 Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic on Dec. 29-30. The Campus Center Ice Arena opened earlier this season and is one of the finest college hockey facilities in Division III.

Oswego State has established itself as one of the premier programs in Division III hockey. The Lakers are off to the best start in program history with an 11-0-3 record, and are currently ranked second in the USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll. The two-time defending SUNYAC regular season champions were ranked in the top-15 nationally for every poll released in the 2005-06 season and were among the top five teams for most of those weeks. The Lakers finished the season with an 18-7-2 overall record and return the majority of the lineup, including All-American and SUNYAC Player of the Year Ryan Woodward.

Three accomplished opponents will join Oswego State for the Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic. Each of the four teams has participated in the NCAA Division III Men's Frozen Four within the last four seasons. The opening-round games on Dec. 29 will match Elmira against St. Thomas at 4 p.m. and Oswego State against New England College at 7 p.m. The Dec. 30 schedule features the championship game at 7 p.m., preceded by a 4 p.m. consolation game.

Traditional Laker rival Elmira College finished the 2005-06 season with a record of 18-9-2 and finished third in the ECAC West. The Soaring Eagles qualified for the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Frozen Four. Elmira head coach Tim Ceglarski is excited about playing high-level competition at the holiday tournament. Elmira is 3-6-1 this season, with a 1-4-0 record in the ECAC West.

"It's a great opportunity for all four teams and we are really happy to be playing at this exciting event," Ceglarski said.

New England College, located in Henniker, N.H. ended last season with a record of 19-6-3 and finished third in the ECAC East. The Pilgrims are 4-3-0 this year, and 3-2-0 in the ECAC East. Pilgrims head coach Tom Carroll said, "The tournament is going to be great. We are really excited. It's four good teams and we're happy to be a part of it."

The University of St. Thomas, located in St. Paul, Minn., finished with a 17-9-1 (.648) record and first place in the MIAC. St. Thomas was the runner up in the 2005 national championship game. The Tommies are 4-5-0 this season, and 1-3-0 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athleteic Conference.