Lakers Athletics

The Nipissing Lakers will be tested in a lot of ways with the Ottawa Gee Gees hitting town needing just one win in two games to advance in the OUA East men's hockey playoffs.

The Lakers' depth as a team will be tested, with a handful of under-the-weather players unable to even skate at Thursday's practice.

The team's character as a whole will be challenged as they try to battle back from a one-game deficit to avoid an early end to their season.

It will be no easy task, with Ottawa bringing some momentum into Memorial Gardens with them for Game 2 of the series tonight at 7 p.m., following a 5-2 win in Wednesday's series-opener.

As deep and balanced as the Lakers have been all season in putting together the third-best record (17-7-4) in the division with the second-highest goal total in the OUA, the Gee Gees' top guns such as Matthieu Methot, Alexandre Touchette, Luc Olivier Blain and Stephen Blunden proved difficult to contain in the playoff opener.

If the Lakers can't bring a greater level of intensity into Game 2 to meet the challenge, the season will be over quickly.

It's almost like a Game 7 for us right now," said Lakers alternate captain Andrew Marcoux, the team's all-time scoring leader. We have to win this in order to move on to Saturday. Everyone is going to bringing their 'A' game and everyone is going to be coming to play.

If you don't, there's something wrong with you."

The Lakers fell behind early in the opener -- Methot scored 1:45 into the game -- and even though Sam Hopewell tied the score a minute later, the Lakers were never able to establish themselves against the Gee Gees and played most of the game trying to come from behind.

Marcoux is looking forward to getting another crack at things in front of a home crowd at Memorial Gardens.

We have, in my opinion, the best fan base in the league and personally, I love playing here," he said prior to Thursday's practice. Every game is a big game, but especially when you're at home and you have fans and you want to do well for them.


As a team, I think in a do-or-d ie situation at home, it will make it more exciting if the crowds are behind us cheering us on."

The Gee Gees played the final 30 minutes of Game 1 without top defenceman Dominic Jalbert, who left the game with an injury and later returned to the bench, but did not take a shift.

Gee Gees coach Real Paiement said Jalbert might have been good to play in the late stages of the third if the score was tight, but said Jalbert's status would be day to day."

Lakers head coach Mike McParland, following Wednesday's game, stressed the importance of the team's leaders stepping up and taking charge.

In order to move on to the OUA East semifinals, the Lakers will have to win two in a row. Game 3 could be played Saturday night, but not without drawing the series even with a Game 2 win.

I think we still played well Wednesday, it was just bad bounces against us," Marcoux said. I just found the errors we made were really big errors that cost us goals. We have to eliminate those huge errors that lead to goals, but aside from that, we need a little more desire as a team.

You can't just have a couple of guys going out there crashing and banging and giving it their all on the ice. You need the whole team."

Two other series underdogs won series-openers in OUA East quarter-finals Wednesday as all four home teams won their games:

* Carleton 6, Toronto 2-- Former Oshawa General 20-goal man Jeff Hayes scored twice to lead the fifth-place Ravens' attack in a 6-2 win over the Varsity Blues at Carleton. The series returns to Toronto's Varsity Arena on Saturday.

* Ryerson 9, UQTR 2 -- The Patriotes outshot the Rams 29-28 through two periods at the George Bell Arena, but found themselves trailing 8-2 after UQTR starter Vincent Lamontagne gave up four goals on the first seven shots. Greg Payne had two goals and four points to lead Ryerson's attack. Game 2 is Saturday in Trois-Rivieres.

* McGill 3, Queen's 2 -- Top CIS defenceman Marc-Andre Dorion, a five-year QMJHLer, set up two Redmen goals as they limited the Gaels to 21 shots in a 3-2 win. Game 2 is Saturday in Kingston.