Lakers Athletics

The Nipissing Lakers men’s hockey team is off to Kingston for an important two-game road trip.

If they win both, they are in the driver’s seat for one of the top four playoff spots. If they lose both, the standings in the OUA East being so tight, the Lakers will actually be battling to clinch a playoff spot down the stretch.

The fifth-place Lakers (10-6-4) visit the 10th-place RMC Paladins (3-17-1) Friday night, before meeting up with the eighth-place Queen’s Gaels (10-8-1) Saturday.

“We’re heading down with the objective to win both games,” said Lakers head coach Mike McParland. “I’ve been saying all along, our division is so strong, every point is huge. Looking at the standings now, we’re only one point out of third, but we’re also just three points up on eighth. Every point is important.”

Queen’s and Ryerson (9-8-3) are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot, with 21 points each. Concordia (10-9-2, 22 points) and Toronto (10-7-3, 23 points) are also nipping right at the Lakers’ heels.

The Lakers travel to face Ryerson in Toronto next Thursday, and they’ll want to do so with a little more breathing room.

The opportunity to face last-place RMC might be coming at the right time. The Paladins have scored the fewest goals (39) in the OUA, while giving up a division-high 90, although the Lakers’ goals for/against ratio of 84/84 hardly resembles that of a contending team.

“The biggest thing for us to clean up is eliminating the individual mistakes that have cost us points this year,” said McParland, noting the mental miscues involved in all five goals last weekend during a 5-4 home loss to the Carleton Ravens. “We have to clean up our mental game and have the right approach.”

After the pair of weekend road games in Kingston and next Thursday’s roadie against Ryerson, the Lakers host their next home game Jan. 28 against RMC.