Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director

DATE: Wednesday, December 1, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hockey

Devils, Oswego showdown for first place

FREDONIA, N.Y. – First-semester bragging rights are on the line Friday night when the Fredonia State Blue Devils meet the Oswego Lakers at the Steele Hall Ice Arena.

The Blue Devils (8-1-1, 5-0-0) can stay atop the SUNYAC standings with a win. They would take a four-point lead over Oswego and the winner of the Plattsburgh at Geneseo game, also Friday.

Should Oswego win, it would tie for the conference lead. The Lakers (8-1-2, 4-1-0) would also set themselves up to sweep the regular-season series when the Blue Devils visit Oswego on Feb. 11.

The Blue Devils will take a nine-game unbeaten string into the game Friday. The streak includes the team’s first North Country sweep (wins at Plattsburgh and Potsdam) since the 1990-91 season. Consistent goal scoring and solid goaltender have been the keys to Fredonia State’s early success.

The Blue Devils have scored no fewer than four goals in all but one game and have outscored the opposition 43-26 (not counting a 6-3 exhibition-game win over St. Clair College). The offense has been spread out among several players, led by sophomores Matt Zeman (Rocky River, Ohio) , Kraig Kuzma (Muskegon, Mich.) , and Brian Kolesar (Broadview Heights, Ohio) .

Zeman leads the team with 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists), while Kuzma and Kolesar have 10 points each.

Junior Rick Cazares (San Jose, Calif.) has established himself as the No. 1 goaltender in his first season at Fredonia State. A transfer from Michigan Tech (a NCAA Division I program), Cazares is 5-1-1 with a 2.83 goals-against average.

As good as the Fredonia State offense has been, Oswego’s has been better. The Lakers have outscored their opponents 61-28 and have seven players with double-digit points. Senior Don Patrick is SUNYAC’s leading scorer with 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists), one point ahead of Zeman and three Oswego teammates: junior Jocelyn Dubord, sophomore Ryan Woodward, and senior Andy Rozak.

Oswego’s No. 1 goaltender has been sophomore Brett Leonhardt. He is 6-0-1 with a 2.49 goals-against average. His backup, freshman Ryan Scott, is 2-1-1 with a 2.69 GAA.

Both teams have caught the attention of the pollsters. The Lakers, in a case of reversal, are No. 10 and the Blue Devils No. 11 in the latest USCHO.com Division III men’s ice hockey poll.

The Lakers -- NCAA runners-up two seasons ago -- lost to Plattsburgh in the SUNYAC championship series last season, and were picked No 2 behind the Cardinals in the 2004-05 conference coaches’ preseason poll.

Respect has been harder to come by for the Blue Devils. They were picked to finish fifth in this year’s preseason poll and were also the No. 5 preseason pick last year after having finished in surprising second – one point behind the Lakers – the season before.

And while the Blue Devils have been listed in the national rankings in each of the last three seasons, they haven’t stayed there for long and have rarely have been ranked as high as, or higher than, Oswego and Plattsburgh, the two perennial SUNYAC co-favorites.

They will try to change that Friday. Game time is 7 p.m.

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