The Minor Midgets enter the Christmas Break clinging to first place in the Alliance East Division. With 35 points and a record of 15-7-5, the Lakers are one point ahead of Cambridge and three points ahead of Waterloo with three games remaining in regular season play.
The Lakers played the second place Cambridge Hawks on December 22nd in a crucial game for both teams. Cambridge opened the scoring in the first period on the power play when a Cambridge player broke in alone on Daniel Dekoning and sniped a shot high glove side. Cambridge took a 2 – 0 lead in the second period on the power play when a shot from the point beat a screened Dekoning. Cambridge took a strangle hold with a third unanswered goal on a 2 on 1 when the rebound was buried. The Lakers mounted a comeback in the third with two goals of their own. Jared Weishar got the Lakers on the board when he tipped in a shot by Nathan Templeman with the second assist going to Carter Stewart. The Lakers pulled within one goal when Templeman fed Derek Elliott from behind the net and Elly made no mistake. Taylor Moir earned the second assist on the goal. With a minute and a half left in the game, Cambridge put the game out of reach on a giveaway at the Laker blue line. A nice pass was redirected into the Laker net making the final score 4 – 2. The Lakers outshot Cambridge 31 – 18.
The Lakers resume action on January 2nd in Waterloo against the Wolves. They finish regular season play with a tilt against Cambridge on January 7th in Stratford and in Hamilton on January 8th to play the Reps. It appears the Lakers will need to win 2 of their final 3 games to clinch first place.