Oswego State | Men's ACHA Division 1 Hockey

Friday, February 9, 2007
Oswego State Club Hockey Team Making Strides This Year
By BRENDAN GOOLEY, Intern (Palladium Times)

Hard hits, an unblemished home record, and the chance to see a Division I club hockey team play were more than enough reasons for fans to go see the Lakers in action this past weekend.

The Oswego State club hockey team hosted two games at the Campus Center Ice Arena. The Lakers lost their first home game of the season to Cornell on Friday, 5-2, but bounced back Saturday to nip Binghamton 8-7.

The Oswego State men's club hockey team is 12-9-1 overall.

"It was a big weekend for us because we're starting the second half of the season and we want to start stringing some wins together so we can enter the playoffs playing well," Coach Jay Peacock said.

In Peacock's first season as head coach, the Lakers have made tremendous strides toward building a strong club hockey team. The Lakers made the jump from the Division III club ranks to Division I this season, and have picked up some impressive wins against quality opponents.

The Lakers went on the road last weekend and earned wins over the University of Buffalo and SUNY Cortland. Buffalo, a nationally ranked team earlier this season, was shut down by Oswego State goalie Greg Feiden in a sudden-death shootout. Jake Weimer of Oswego scored his second goal of the night to give the Lakers a 4-3 victory.

Oswego carried the momentum into the Cortland game and dominated for a 7-2 win after losing to the Dragons earlier in the season, 9-6.

The Lakers have made the transition to Division I smoothly, even though they're only able to practice once or twice a week. Peacock said he's been pleased with the results and can't say enough about the kids he's coaching.

"These kids gave up the last two weeks of their winter breaks to come back early and practice every day because the ice was available," Peacock said. "They are so dedicated and they actually run the program. They're the ones negotiating with the school, taking care of the team's money, and constantly uploading the Web site."

Peacock said it's a fun group of kids to coach and said his team is compiled of past high school stars who aren't worried about seeing their name in the paper. He said his roster is full of players like Jim Lapaglia and Dave Farley, who aren't necessarily the fastest and most talented players, but do the little things that ultimately help the team win.

"Jim is one of those lunchbox players who comes every day and leaves everything on the ice," Peacock said. "He had a hip pointer injury before the Buffalo game and was probably 90 percent healthy, but sucked it up and gave me 150 percent."

Farley is described by his coach as a big, strong bull. Peacock said Farley might not always show up on the stat sheet, but he makes things happen and does whatever is needed to get a win.

Lapaglia, a junior forward, said his team is a bunch of grinders with a lot of hard hitters and playmakers. His five goals and five assists in 16 games this season might not seem like a lot, but it is actually the norm on a team which has received the majority of its points from senior forward Ryan Hawthorne. The Baldwinsville native leads the Lakers in goals (27), assists (13), and points (40).

"Hawthorne is one of the best players, if not the best player I've ever played with," Lapaglia said. "He's an animal on the ice and his speed is unbelievable. I think he could play on the varsity team."

The Lakers also have two local players on their team. Greg Distin, a graduate of Fulton's G. Ray Bodley High School, is described by Peacock as a monster with the hardest shot on the team. The freshman defender has contributed in his first year with the Lakers with three goals and 10 assists. Ted Harrison, a senior forward, played his high school hockey at Oswego. Harrison has three goals and three assists this season.

Each member of the Lakers' roster pays $200 every season, which goes toward travel expenses. Peacock said Oswego State provides money for jerseys and equipment. The rest of the money needed in order to play a 30-game schedule comes from fund-raising and donations.

Peacock said the team appreciates all the help it has received, and that's the reason his team has tried to give back to the community. The Lakers recently held a free hockey clinic for players in the Fulton Youth Hockey. The kids learned how to shoot different types of shots and Oswego State's Feiden hopped in goal to run the goaltending clinic. The team will hold another one of these free hockey clinics on Sunday at 6:45 p.m. at the Fulton Ice Arena.

Farley, one of the Lakers' eight seniors, said he's enjoyed playing for Peacock and likes the competition of ACHA Division I club hockey.

"Club hockey is a great way to extend your hockey career," Farley said. "It also allows you to meet new friends without having a strenuous commitment of a varsity sport. The competition has been a lot tougher this season, but we've been playing good of late and are peaking at the right time."

Three out of the Lakers' four remaining regular-season games will be on the road. The last chance to see the club team play at the Campus Center Ice Arena this season will be Feb. 18 against Cortland.