Re: Official Oswego State 2013-2014 Season Thread - A New Beginning...
I want to extend a congrats to all the members of the Lakers team for taking this team further than anyone thought they could.
Just a few players I want to highlight here.
Let's start with Zawadzki. I think he has clearly established himself as the #1 goalie going into next season, meaning he has the potential to be the starter for 4 straight years. He played in 23 games this season, which would put him on pace to play 92 games in his college career. For comparison, Ryan Scott played 90 games as the only other Oswego goalie to be a #1 goalie for 4 years since the 80s (Paul Mueller in the 80s played 105 games). Based off of Z's winning pctg this season, I'd estimate he's on a pace to win 73 games in his 4-year career, which would set an all-time program record for a goalie (Mueller currently holds the record at 63). He also had 4 shutouts this year, which would put him on a pace to win 16 shutouts in his college career, setting another all-time school record (currently held by Andrew Hare at 11). His save pctg and GAA compares favorably to all-time school records as well. If Z continues his current pace, his save % would be 2nd all-time behind Hare, and his GAA would be 3rd all-time, behind Hare and just barely behind Beckwith. If Zawadzki actually improves over the next 3 years, we could see Z theoretically reset the entire school record book for goalies.
Next I'd like to mention a little something about Matt Galati. He finished his season with 24 goals. Let that sink in for a moment. Not a single member of the "dream team" from the previous 4 years were able to get 24 goals in a season. I went back in the history books and in 2007 (the year we won the championship) McLaughlin managed 24 goals as a sophomore. That was the last time someone has matched that mark. The last time someone EXCEEDED 24 goals in a season was back in the 2003-04 season when Mike Lukajic scored 25 goals as a senior. And he did so playing 2 more games than Galati did. Galati, Botten and Neil look to be shaping up to something similar to what Whitelaw/Moodie/Rodrigues had. If only Neil had been healthy in the post-season who knows how far this team would've gone?
And lastly, I just want to point out how impressed I am with David Titanic as a captain. There's no question that the unbelievable performance of this team this season is partly due to his leadership. Yes, his stats were fine. But consider the number of times this team was able to come back from behind and win. Consider how many times this team was supposed to lose a game and we somehow managed a way to win. One thing more, notice how Oswego's penalties per game went down to 8.45 minutes per game, down from 11.07 last year, and 15.70 the year before that. This team has learned discipline, and especially in the post-season where our PIM per game was only 6.00.
Bottom line, this team has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Two consecutive SUNYAC championships, over 20 wins for the season, an undefeated record against Platty, and a 5th straight trip to the Frozen Four. This year was truly a pleasure to watch this team.
Here's hoping all the players from this year's team stick around for next year. Also, let's hope that perhaps Gosek can attract a new player or two (and he can be picky considering how many players he already has).
And I know it's early, but I'm already calling that Oswego should be considered for the #2 spot for next year's pre-season poll. Next year's expectations are going to be very different from this year's.
. I agree with you and drafty....we played with house money the last few weeks....one thing you have to love - there is no quit in this team...and that came from the guy with the C....the leadership void to be filled is significant...Titanic proved to be everything a true Captain should be... The outpouring of affection and respect from his teammates last night at "The Wake" was heartwarming... The "kids" got a taste of the big dance their first year....here's to keep THAT streak alive - and win one for a change of pace.