Syracuse Split Hall of Fame Weekend Series Against Oswego State

By Brian Piendel and Sophia Volz 

SYRACUSE, N.Y.— The Syracuse Men’s Hockey Team (5-9-2) hosted the Oswego State Lakers (6-7-1) during their annual Alumni Weekend Series. Friday night’s matchup was controlled by Syracuse as they secured a 7-3 victory, never trailing the Lakers. However, the momentum shifted Saturday afternoon, and the Orange closed the series falling 5-1. 

Photo Credit: Ian Rempe / @ir_images

This series marked the second and third meetings between the teams this season. Last month, the Orange traveled to Oswego State where they defeated the Lakers in a 5-4 shootout win. The interstate ACC rivals will meet once more in January, when Syracuse returns to Oswego for the final regular season meeting between the two teams. 

It didn't take long for the Orange to strike in game one. Junior forward Kade Cook picked up the puck in the offensive zone and found the back of the net just over two minutes into the game. The Lakers responded with a tally of their own at 7:38 on the powerplay. 

The rest of the first period was all Syracuse. Cook added his second tally of the night at 11:52 on a 2-on-1 break, sophomore forward Tanner Cole earned an assist with his effort on the play. Jack Alecia showed off his hand-eye coordination skills with a silky redirection on junior defenseman Jake Brown’s shot from the blue line at 16:16. Junior forward Brendan Duffy ended the first with a scrappy net front goal that he poked in with under a minute left in the period.  

Carter Rugg, who made the transition from defenseman to forward for this weekend’s games, scored his second goal of the season halfway into the second period, assisted by Alecia and sophomore forward Cameron Gaffney.  

First-year forward Chris Fanning tallied his first collegiate goal 13 seconds into the third period after he put home his own rebound extending the Orange lead to 6-1. The Lakers scored their second of the night at 6:25 before Fanning doubled down with a snapshot off the post and into the back of the net at 11:49. The Lakers added a consolation goal in the last two minutes of game one on a 5-3 man advantage.  

Heading into Game Two, both teams opened play with an aggressive and physical pace. Syracuse aimed to build on the momentum established in Game One, while Oswego focused on swinging the energy in their own favor.  

The Lakers were the first to strike, capitalizing on a rebound in front of Syracuse senior goaltender AJ Finta just under four minutes into the game to take a 1-0 lead. 

Despite the early goal, the Orange continued to battle and created quality looks of their own, including a near miss off the post by Gaffney.  

Oswego extended their lead halfway through the first period, converting on a rebound at 12:23 after Finta denied the initial wrist shot to make it 2-0 Lakers. 

Syracuse opened the second period with a powerplay after a roughing call against Oswego just 30 seconds into play. However, the Orange were unable to convert before the Lakers added to their total with a breakaway goal at 6:26. A minute later, a shorthanded tally off a turnover prompted a Syracuse timeout and a switch in netminder, as the Orange brought in freshman Cash Lawrence between the pipes. 

The Orange continued to fight, with Duffy getting denied a breakaway opportunity and another close chance by Alecia on a rebound attempt late in the middle frame. However, the period ended with Syracuse on the penalty kill. 

Syracuse got on the board early in the third as freshman defenseman Robby Cibotti scored

his first collegiate career goal off a redirection at 0:41, making the score 4-1.  

Syracuse never let up, continuing to generate scoring chances in the offensive zone, but Oswego maintained control and extended their lead by another goal at 9:01. Despite their continued efforts, Syracuse fell 5-1 to the Lakers.  

While the Orange and the Lakers split the weekend series on the ice, seven new members and one team were inducted into the Syracuse Men’s Hockey Hall of Fame following Saturday’s afternoon contest. Steve Bell (SU ‘99), member of the 2025 HOF class, stated: 

“It’s always a good time reconnecting with everyone. We were just out to eat, sharing stories and reminiscing; the camaraderie comes right back. You build a strong bond when you work your hardest and go through those competitive moments together, so it is meaningful to reunite and spend time with the guys again.” 

Bell was inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside David Backhurst ‘68, Al Fecteau ‘78, Jeff Kennedy ‘89, Carter Hansen ‘05, Richie Carlston ‘10, Peter-Owen Hayward ‘20 and the 2016-2017 NECHL Championship Team. The current team was able to meet the Hall of Fame class during the induction ceremony and a banquet on Saturday night, followed by an alumni game hosted on Sunday morning at Tennity Ice Pavilion.  

The Orange will take a weekend trip to Long Island, New York to take on Stony Brook in two ACCHL tilts on November 22^nd and November 23^rd.  

All home games are played at the Tennity Ice Pavilion on Syracuse’s campus and are free for students and the general public. Home games are streamed live on the SU Hockey Network. Radio broadcasts are also available for all away games.