The last time Syracuse men’s ice hockey went up 2-1 against Oswego State, the Orange let up two goals in the final two periods to end with a disappointing one-goal loss.

The Orange (9-6) got its revenge against the rival Lakers (6-6) on Sunday, holding on for a 2-1 win despite a last-minute push by the Lakers to try and tie the game.

SU senior goalie Austin Lefkowicz helped keep OSU scoreless in the first two periods as goals by senior forward Joseph Hockler and junior forward JR LaPointe gave the Orange a 2-0 lead for much of the game.

“The guys just played really well in front of me,” Lefkowicz said. “They kept the shots out wide and played the guys out in front so I was able to see everything. So they weren’t able to get too many shots on me in the first two periods.”

While Lefkowicz faced little offensive pressure from the Lakers for most of the game, OSU stepped up late in the third period to make the score 2-1 with 1:20 left to go.

A late penalty on the Orange put it at a disadvantage for the final minute, one that Oswego State attempted to capitalize on by pulling its goalie for an extra threat against the SU defense. Despite being at a numbers disadvantage, SU held on.

“I know that the boys got me,” Lefkowicz said of that late-game push by OSU. “I know that they’ll clear everyone out and let me see the puck. As long as they do that, then I got nothing to worry about.”

The matchup was marked by the aggressive style of play that the Orange has tried to make its trademark this season. The post-whistle physicality came to a head midway through the third period after a four-player collision led to three Orange players entering the penalty box.

“Oswego’s always a rival of ours, but our game plan is usually to grind and get in the dirty areas,” said junior forward and captain Nino DiPasquale. “We did a great job of doing that and it caused some turnovers which led to some good goals.”

The Orange will get a week of rest before its most hyped game of the season so far, Friday’s Carrier Dome matchup against West Virginia. For now, Syracuse hopes to build upon the momentum of the past few games into the second half of the season.

“It’s certainly a positive thing for us here,” LaPointe said. “We’re having a little bit of trouble as of late and along with (Saturday) night, (a 7-0 win against Binghamton), I think it’s going to give us some positive momentum going into the weekend against West Virginia.”

Published on November 16, 2014 at 11:20 pm