William Smith hockey closed out its regular season with a 2-1 SUNYAC loss to Oswego on Saturday evening at the Deborah F. Stanley Arena.
The Herons finished the regular season with an 11-14-0 overall record and a 7-7-0 mark in conference play, securing the No. 4 seed in the SUNYAC standings.
Oswego struck early with two first-period goals. Liliana Ficaro opened the scoring at the 5:46 mark, converting a rebound opportunity in front of the net. Less than two minutes later, Leah Coley added another goal through traffic to give the Lakers a 2-0 advantage.
William Smith answered quickly as sophomore Rowan Kennedy intercepted a clearing attempt and scored an unassisted goal just 39 seconds later to cut the deficit in half. The Herons generated multiple scoring chances the rest of the way but were unable to find the equalizer.
Junior goaltender Mia Iwicki made 36 saves while playing nearly 59 minutes in net, keeping William Smith within reach despite Oswego holding a 38-24 advantage in shots on goal. Oswego goalie Mia Devivo stopped 23 shots to preserve the win.
Neither team converted on the power play, with both sides finishing 0-for-3 with the advantage.
With 16 conference points, William Smith earned home ice for the opening round of the SUNYAC Tournament and will host Canton on Wednesday, February 25. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.