Lakers hockey cap banner season in fine form

The Nipissing Lakers hockey team capped off their third regular season on the weekend with important wins over Ryerson and Queen’s to head into the playoffs with momentum.Lakers wrap up most successful season yet, set for playoffsKen Pagan The Nugget
The Nipissing Lakers men’s hockey team continues to improve, and a win over the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday night capped their most successful regular season in the program’s three years.
Lucas McKinley scored a pair of goals as the Lakers wrapped up the regular schedule with a 6-4 win over Queen’s.
With the win, the Lakers finish the season with a 17-7-4 record and 38 points, third place in the OUA East. It is one point better than their fourth-place record of 17-8-3 a year ago.
“That was a little bit unexpected,” said Lakers head coach Mike McParland. “With the competition within our division and how tough it was, I’ve said many times this year that just getting 34 points would be equal to the 37 we had last year.“For us to come in and get 38 points, that’s a credit to the guys.”
Conor O'Donnell, Dan Watt, Doug Clarkson and Dorian Peca also scored for the Lakers, who led 2-1 after the first period and 5-2 after the second.
Goaltender Kyle Cantlon made 34 saves for the win.
Joey Derochie, Brandon Perry, Jordan Mirwaldt and Corey Bureau scored for Queen's (13-12-2), who finish eighth and will face the McGill Redmen in the opening round.
"I thought they would have put up more fight to win, trying to avoid McGill," McParland said.
By clinching third, the Lakers will face the sixth-place Ottawa Gee Gees (14-13-1) in the best-of-three OUA East quarter-final.
The series will open in Ottawa on Wednesday, before the teams return to Memorial Gardens for Game 2 on Friday and Game 3, if necessary, Saturday.
The Lakers met the Gee Gees twice this season. They earned a 5-2 win on opening night at home, before suffering a 7-1 loss in Ottawa on Nov. 19, their worst loss of the season.
But the Lakers have been the hottest team in the OUA down the stretch, winning eight of 10 games. The Gee Gees have gone 3-7-0 in their last 10.
The Lakers also finished with the second-highest goals-scored total in the OUA, netting 120 goals in 28 games using a well-balanced attack.
O’Donnell scored for a third straight game and added two assists Saturday, finishing with six goals and 36 points to place ninth in OUA scoring.
O’Donnell’s 30 assists also tied the team record established by playmaker Ryan Maunu in the 2009-10 season.
Clarkson finished 12th in OUA scoring with a team-high 17 goals and 34 points, while defenceman Brodie Beard cracked the Top 20 with seven goals and 32 points.
Peca (26), Watt (22) and Marcoux (20) also surpassed the 20-point barrier.
Goaltender Daniel Spence’s 15 wins was the OUA’s third-highest total.
The other OUA East playoff matchups will feature No. 1 McGill vs. No. 8 Queen’s, No. 2 UQTR vs. No. 7 Ryerson and No. 4 Toronto vs. No. 5 Carleton.?