The Oswego men's ice hockey team held off Hobart College late to secure a 5-4 win in the Marano Campus Center Arena tonight. With the win, the No. 5 Lakers improve to 10-1-2, while the Statesmen fall to 8-5-0 overall.
 
Oswego logged the game's first four goals, notching two in both the first and second periods. Hobart answered back, however, scoring a goal with less than a minute to play in the second and then adding the first two of the third period to cut their deficit to one at 4-3. The Lakers got a rebound goal from Kenny Neil with less than 10 to go, and that proved to be the game-winner. After two penalties were whistled on Oswego, the Statesmen were able to bring it back to a one-goal game during a 5-on-3 situation. Still on the power play in the game's final minute, the Lakers' penalty kill and goalie Matt Zawadzki were able to ward off Hobart's final effort.
 
In the first period, Shawn Hulshof opened the scoring at 21 seconds, as Mike Montagna found the sophomore for a goal. The Lakers next goal came at 13:27. Alex Botten went top shelf but the maneuvering of Neil set up the play. Matt Galati was also in on the score, sending an outlet pass to Neil to start the transition.
 
Botten and Neil teamed up again in the second period, this time collecting assists on a Stephen Johnson goal at 4:34. At 14:53, Hulshof registered his second of the night with six seconds left on an extra-man opportunity. Bobby Gertsakis was credited with an assist on the Lakers' fourth goal.
 
With 50 seconds left in the second, junior Mac Olson broke through for Hobart. He found the back of the net after an assist from junior Brad Robbins.
 
The Statesmen kept the momentum going into the third period. At 5:54 sophomore Nick Bingaman made it 4-2 after a pass from classmate Bobby Sokol. Sokol fired a shot on goal that sprawling Zawadski was unable to hang onto. Bingaman was there to collect the puck, maneuver around the crowd in front of the goal, carry the puck around the back of the net, and slide his shot into the open left side of the goal.
 
Just over a minute later, first-year Jordan Haskell put the Statesmen within a goal with his second goal of the year. This goal also came through a flurry in front of the goal this time with junior Brad McBride earning the assist.
 
The Lakers' final goal came at 12:32 of the third, as Galati ripped a shot high that bounced off the glass and back in front of the crease for the Neil goal. Senior Tommaso Traversa put Hobart back within one again with 53 seconds left in regulation, when he capitalized on a Statesmen power play. Sophomore Carl Belizario logged the assist.
 
The Lakers finished with a 40-29 advantage in shots. Hobart scored on its lone power play of the game, while Oswego went 1-for-4. First-year Frank Oplinger played 58:32 in goal for Hobart and made 35 saves. Zawadzki made 25 stops in net for the Lakers.
 
The Statesmen will be back in action tomorrow, Jan. 10, when they travel to take on Geneseo in a non-league game at 7 p.m.