The Lakers had a much anticipated rematch with Fergus Falls in the Otters Holiday Tourney.  After playing two nice games and coming up short in the win column the Lakers were looking to end strong.  The Lakers played their best game of the season but lost a tight one with West Fargo Monday night 3-2 and then lost to Mankato West 5-1 on Tuesday.  With the championship of the tourney on the line for the Otters the Lakers were looking to be spoilers Wednesday night.  FF started quickly netting a goal in the first minute.  Less than two minutes later Tanner Lane tied it up on a nice end to end rush.  FF would strike again to take the lead but finally taking advantage on the power play the Lakers Ethan Brekke knocked home a one-timer to tie it up.  With less than a minute to go the Otters struck again to take a 3-2 lead into the locker room.  After FF struck early to take a 4-2 lead it was all Lakers from there on out.  Andy Schupp scored on the PP to pull the Lakers to within one.  Three minutes later Davis Johnson struck on a nice pass from Lane to tie the game.  Less than two minutes later Ethan Brekke rifled a slap shot top shelf to give the Lakers their first lead.  The Lakers took control the rest of the night.  A nice pass play between Lane, Schupp and Phelps resulted in a Phelps goal and a two goal lead.  FF would strike a minute later but penalties mounted for the Otters and the Lakers held on for a 6-5 win.  Andrew Friesen pulled together a nice second and third period and made 24 saves on the night for the victory.  The victory pulls the Lakers record to 4-5-0 heading into the new year. 

The Lakers JV ended losing their three games in the tourney despite some solid play during games two and three.  The Lakers lost to West Fargo on night one 5-1.  Mankato West held on for a tight 5-4 victory over the Lakers in game two and Fergus beat the Lakers 5-2.  Goals seemed hard to come by in games 1 and 3 and just not enough in game two to get a win.  The Lakers JV record now stands at 2-6-0.

Both teams return to action next week when they host Wadena at home Friday night.

The Lakers three game winning streak ended on Tuesday night at the new Urban Plains Center in Fargo where the Lakers dropped a 5-2 decision to Fargo North.  The Lakers started out a little flat falling behind 1-0 half way through period one.  But a nice goal by Bradon Yozamp tied the game and gave the Lakers some life.  The Lakers started the second period on fire outshooting North 9-3 through nine minutes.  A hard earned goal by Josh Saunders put the Lakers ahead to start the second period.  North tied the game halfway through the second and it seemed to take some of the wind out of the Lakers sails.  Another goal late in the period would put North up 3-2 heading into the third.  The Lakers tried to muster up some pressure in the third but penalties seemed to get the best of the Lakers as North capitalized twice taking a 5-2 lead and hanging on for the win.  The Lakers failed to convert on two five-on-three power plays in the game which made a huge difference.  Chris Widme saw 42 shots in the game, saving 37 of them in the process.  Travis Maristuen added two assists and Brandon Yozamp added one to go with his goal.  The loss puts the Lakers back at .500 with a 3-3 record. 

The Laker JV didn't fare much better losing their game 5-0.  The Lakers couldn't get much going for most of the game being outshot 34-14 on the night.  Michael Brunner made 29 stops in the loss.  That loss puts the Lakers JV at 2-3 on the season.

 The Lakers will take part in the Fergus Falls Holiday Tourney next Monday through Wednesday. 

The Lakers moved their record to 3-2 on the season with a dominating 12-4 win against Walker Friday night.  The Lakers  jumped out with 7 first period goals to give them some breathing room heading into the second period.  The Lakers put up 18 shots in the first period giving up 7.  In the second period it was much the same.  The Lakers scored four more to put the game out of reach.  Taking an 11-2 lead into the third the Lakers were able to get some younger players some time on the ice.  The Lakers, with time running, put in one more to take the game convincingly 12-4.  Tanner Lane collected 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) on the night with Alex Phelps tallying 5 points (3g, 2a).  Brett Provo scored a goal and added two assists in the game.  The Lakers got one goal and one assist performances from Davis Johnson, Chad Maristuen, Nate Baker, Andy Schupp  and Joe Hanson collected two assists.  Brandon Yozamp put in one goal and Travis Maristuen, Ethan Brekke and Alex Deconcini collected assists in the game.  Blake Murphy stopped 21 pucks to take his first varsity win. 

The Lakers head to Fargo on Tuesday to play Fargo North at the brand new Urban Plains Center.  

Park Rapids visited the Kent Freeman Arena Tuesday night for a Mid-State Conference tilt.  Coming off an impressive victory Friday night the Lakers put forth another solid effort against the Panthers taking the game 3-2 for their second consecutive win.  In the first period Nate Baker got the scoring started when Chad Maristuen fed him a nice pass for a breakaway goal.  Park Rapids tied it later in the first but the Lakers looked solid in the first.  The second period was controlled by the Lakers and their hard work paid off when Ethan Brekke put home a pass from Brett Provo to give the Lakers the lead.  In the third the Lakers looked to have the game in control when the Panthers knocked home a rebound goal to tie the game.  With the Lakers down a player Alex Phelps threw a pass up to Tanner Lane who sealed the game with a nice shot from the bottom of the circle.  Andrew Friesen played solid in nets for the Lakers turning away 31 shots by the Panthers including a nice back door save in the second period.  The win puts the Lakers at 2-2 heading into their game vs. Walker on Friday.

The Lakers JV had their second straight impressive showing beating the Panthers by the same score of 3-2.  The score was closer than the game actually was as the Lakers put up 42 shots on net to the Panthers 25.  With the Lakers down one in the second, Kirby Inderrieden put home a nice shot to tie the game.  In the third the Lakers took control.  Ryan Curley put home his first goal of the season off a Jake Nosal pass.  Then Ryan Lindquist scored his sixth of the season off a Jake Nosal pass.  Blake Murphy stopped 23 shots to take the win.  The Lakers JV is also 2-2 on the season.  The JV will return to action next Tuesday vs. Fargo North.

The blizzard that has hit the area has forced a school closing for Monday therefore there is no practice scheduled for Monday.  Players will report to the game as usual on Tuesday night.  Spaghetti dinner will still be available at the VFW on Monday night at 6:15pm, but is not mandatory due to the weather.  

The Lakers hosted the St. Bernard's Saints tonight at Kent Freeman Arena.  It was a spirited game as the Lakers were looking to bounce back from a tough loss Saturday in their home opener.  It was a different Laker team tonight as they showed a lot of jump and hard work to beat the Saints 4-2.  The Lakers started off early in the first as Tanner Lane put the puck home on a nice three way play from Andy Schupp and Alex Phelps.  The Saints would tie the game in the first period to make it 1-1.  Early in the second Brandon Yozamp tipped home a nice pass from Nate Ginnaty to give the Lakers momentum.  Three minutes later Chad Maristuen put home a rebound in front of the net off a shot by Joe Hanson to put the Lakers up by two.  The Lakers dominated most of the second period play other than a shorthanded goal they gave up to shave their lead to one heading into the third.  The Lakers weathered the storm in the third as the Saints pressed hard for most of the period.  Chris Widme was strong in nets not letting up anything to secure the lead and the victory.  Tanner Lane sealed the deal with two minutes left to put the Lakers up 4-2 and take home the win.  Chris Widme picked up the win stopping 33 shots and playing solid in the nets for the Lakers.

The Lakers JV picked up their first win tonight against the Saints by a score of 8-1.  The Lakers keep improving each game and tonight it stood out.  The dominated the whole game from start to finish.  Great puck movement, solid attack and heavy pressure kept the puck in the Saints zone most of the game.  The Lakers outshot the Saints 34-13 for the game.   Grant Sands stopped 12 of 13 for the win.  Ryan Lindquist put home four goals and added an assist on the night.  Goals by Ryan Berg, Logan Baker, Kirby Inderrieden and Cody Olsen added to the Lakers totals.  Jake Nosal had two assists on the night as did Alex Deconcini.  Austin Starkey, Nate Krohne, Kirby Inderrieden, Charlie Smith, Nate Ginnaty and Logan Baker also added assists. 

The Lakers Varsity/JV host Park Rapids Tuesday night at home in a Mid-State Conference game.

The Lakers faced arch rival Fergus Falls Saturday night with hopes of getting on the win track.  Those hopes faded quickly getting down 3-0 in the first period.   A lackluster showing in the first caused the Lakers to play from behind the whole night.  In the second the Lakers managed to pull within two on a short handed goal by Alex Phelps.  Fergus would answer later in the period to take another three goal lead into the locker room.  In the third a quick goal by Fergus put them up 5-1 until Nate Baker popped home a goal on the power play off a pass by Brandon Yozamp.  That is where the high lites ended for the Lakers.  Penalties mounted later in the third and Fergus capitalized scoring three power play goals.  A late goal ended the game at 9-2.  Chris Widme was in net for the Lakers in the loss making 24 stops.  The Lakers return to action next Friday against St. Bernard's where they hope to shake off a bad loss and get into the win column.

 The Lakers JV had their best effort of the year in a 4-2 loss to Fergus.  The Lakers mounted pressure all night long but couldn't solve the Otters goalie until the third period.   After being down 3-0 the Lakers pulled within one goal in the third until the Otters scored into an open net.  Blake Murphy was in the net for the loss.  If the Lakers JV can keep up their hard work their first win could come next Friday against St. Bernard's.  

The Lakers traveled to Pequout Lakes Thursday night for their first official game of the season.  Despite a comeback effort the Lakers dropped the game 5-4.  Travis Maristuen got the scoring started in the first on the power play off a shot by Tanner Lane.  Northern Lakes answered back a couple minutes later to tie the score at the end of one period.  In the second NL would draw first blood to take the lead until Nathan Baker put home his first goal of the season off a pass from Lane.  NL would score late on the power play to take a 3-2 lead into the third.  In the third NL went up by two about halfway through the period.  The Lakers kept their composure and put on the pressure in the last five minutes.  Tanner Lane scored his first of the year off a feed from Alex Phelps.  Then 3 minutes later Travis Maristuen knocked home his second of the night off a shot from Ethan Brekke to tie the game.  The Lakers kept the pressure on and it looked like they were going to get the go ahead goal when the puck popped past a defender and NL got a break to the net to go ahead 5-4 with 30 seconds left.  Despite outshooting the Lightning the Lakers outshot NL 40-30 for the game.  Andrew Friesen had some nice stops in the game despite taking the loss.  The Lakers host Fergus Falls Saturday night for their home opener.

The Lakers JV couldn't solve the Lightning goaltender tonight.  Despite some solid goaltending of their own by Michael Brunner the Lakers dropped their opener 1-0.  The Lakers had a great third period where they seemed to get more pressure on the Lightning.  The Lakers only managed 6 shots in the first two periods but put up 8 more in the third but just couldn't get one by the NL goalie.