Oswego and Plattsburgh will once again face off for the SUNYAC Championship crown. Saturday night's game at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego marks the 12th time the two SUNYAC juggernauts have met for the tittle. Historically Plattsburgh has had Oswego's number winning 9 of the previous 11 matchups. However, Oswego has dominated recently with a record of 6-0-1 (including the 2010 SUNYAC Championship) in their last 7 meetings. This season Oswego tied at Plattsburgh 2-2 and Oswego shutout Plattsburgh at home 3-0 a few weeks ago in the annual whiteout game.
Plattsburgh advanced to the final by edging out Buffalo State in a 4-3 triple OT game. Oswego advanced to the championship game after cruising by Fredonia 8-3 last Saturday.
What's on the line (besides the SUNYAC crown and obvious bragging rights)?
For Oswego: A win would give the Lakers an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and most likely seal their case on the #1 seed in the east bracket. This would give them a first round bye and allow Oswego to host a home NCAA quarterfinal game against the lowest remaining seed next Saturday night. Even if Oswego was the lose they would most likely be guaranteed an at-large bid into the NCAAs and still be ranked the #1 or #2 seed in the east bracket.
For Plattsburgh: A win would give the Cardinals an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and grant them a #2 or #3 seeding in the east bracket. They would mostly likely host their first playoff game either in the play-in-round or in the quarterfinals. If they lose they would also have to rely on an at-large bid to get into the tournament. They would be in great shape to receive the at-large bid but their seeding stock would fall and they would most likely have to play in the first (or play-in) round.
The puck drops tonight at 7pm in Oswego. For those unable to make it to the game you can listen live on WYNO, or watch online via Oswego Athletics. The game will also air on TV, Time Warner 96 in Oswego or Time Warner 1027 in Central NY.
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