With road games on Friday and Saturday, the Oswego River Hawks completed their regular season with a close 14-12 loss at undefeated Thousand Islands, followed by a convincing 18-7 win in Geneva.
Oswego completes its regular season schedule with a 4-2 league record, sweeping both the Utica Yeti and the Seneca Lake Serpents while dropping both games to the Thousand Island Spirits.
The 4-2 record marks the River Hawks’ best finish in their three-year history; they will host a semi-final playoff game on Friday night, also a program first.
In Alex Bay on Friday night, the Spirits led from start to finish, but Oswego battled for 60 minutes to stay in the game. Down 6-4 at halftime, the River Hawks went toe-to-toe with the Spirits throughout the second half, as each team scored eight goals.
Lucas Hoskin led all Oswego scorers with five goals, while Mason Blakeman and Brian Witmer each had a goal and two assists. Pavel Srch and Dylan Smith went 1-1, and Jack Prosser, Trevor Jones, and Colin Doyle also tallied goals. In goal, Kobie Gibson was outstanding, recording 38 saves for a 73% night.
Special teams played a huge role in the game’s outcome. Oswego was two-for-six on the power play, but allowed three short-handed goals, while Thousand Islands went two-for-four with the extra man, and Oswego also scored two short-handed goals.
On Saturday night, the River Hawks jumped out to a 4-0 first-quarter lead, held the four-goal margin to lead 8-4 at halftime, and then went on to control the second half by outscoring the Serpents 10-3 in the final 30 minutes.
Blakeman led all scorers, going 4-2, while Srch talled four goals and one assist. Smith went 3-2, Doyle and Jones each went 2-1, and Witmer was 1-2. Prosser and Mike Rattinger each went 1-1, and Hoskin went 0-2. Jack Alvey and Christian Ferrara recorded single assists. In goal, Josef Slavik recorded 22 saves before he was relieved by Kobie Gibson in the third quarter; Gibson went on make 12 saves. Slavik finished with a 79% save percentage while Gibson had a 92% save percentage.
The River Hawks struggled on the power play, going 0-for-4 and yielding another short-handed goal. The Serpents, meanwhile, went 1-for-5 with the extra man, but Oswego scored two short-handed goals again.
With their 4-2 record, the River Hawks earn a home game semi-final, looking to make another run at Sunday’s divisional championships game. Oswego will host #3 seed Seneca Lake (1-5) on Friday night, while #1 seed Thousand Islands (6-0) will host the Utica Yeti (1-5). Friday’s winners meet on Sunday at the highest surviving seed.
