NCAA Quarterfinal: Elmira at Oswego Preview

The Oswego State Lakers will host Elmira in the Quarterfinal round of the 2012 NCAA D-III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Saturday night. Both Oswego and Elmira received at-large bids into the tournament and a first round bye into the quarterfinals. Oswego enters the game as the No. 2 team in the nation and No. 2 seed in the East with a record of 23-3-2. The Lakers were upset at home last Saturday in the SUNYAC Championship game by rival Plattsburgh State 3-2. Elmira enters the match-up ranked 11th in the nation and the No. 5 seed in the East with a record of 15-8-3. The Soaring Eagles were knocked out of the ECAC West tournament in the semifinals by Neumann in OT 5-4. Here's a quick preview of both teams.

Oswego State Lakers
Overall Record: 22-3-2
NCAA History: 13th Appearance (2007 National Champion)
Scoring Offense: 4.67 gpg
Scoring Defense: 1.81 gpg
Power Play: 26.8%
Penalty Kill: 86.0%
Penalties: 16.7 min per game
Leading Scorer: Jon Whitelaw (40 Pts)
Goaltender: Andrew Hare (.929 SV% & 1.77 GAA)

Elmira Soaring Eagles  
Overall Record: 15-8-3
NCAA History: 18th Appearance
Scoring Offense: 3.73 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.88 gpg
Power Play: 17.0%
Penalty Kill: 79%
Penalties: 16.7 min per game
Leading Scorer: Kevin Willer (33 Pts)
Goaltender: Darren McDonald (.892 SV% & 3.01 GAA)

Our Pick
Oswego has the clear advantage in all major categories (Offense, Defense, Special Teams, & Goaltending). Oswego and Elmira met twice earlier this season in a home-and-home series. Oswego swept the series winning 7-3 and 6-2. The Lakers play very well at home, especially in the NCAAs winning their previous three home quarterfinal games against Norwich and Bowdoin (2). Plus, Elmira hasn't beating Oswego in the Campus Center Ice Arena since 2007. However, the typical Oswego environment their accustom to isn't expected to be out in full force. The students begin their Spring Break this afternoon and are kicked out of the dorms Saturday morning. Most will not stick around for the Saturday night game. The key to the game for Oswego will be to play clean and play smart. If Oswego doesn't overlook this round and doesn't beat themselves they should win easily. We like Oswego by at least three goals.

The puck drops Saturday night at 7:00pm in the Campus Center Ice Arena. According to Oswego State Athletics there are plenty of tickets still available for the game. If you are unable to make it up to Oswego the game will be streamed live online via the athletics page or can always be heard on WNYO.