In what had a playoff type atmosphere to it, the Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team and UQTR Patriotes battled for every inch of the ice, for all 60 minutes of Saturday's game.

In the end, the Patriotes walked away with a 5-3 victory, ending the Lakers impressive run of five straight wins, but it was far from easy for the second place squad based in Quebec.

The first period was just one goal and it came off the stick of one of the many Patriotes snipers.

UQTR took that lead to the first intermission, but things would open up offensively and physically from that point on.

Four of the next seven goals would be scored on the power play – two by each team.

The Lakers would tie the game thanks to a great one-timer from Chad Thibodeau, set up on a pretty feed from Guillaume Naud and Erik Robichaud.

Before the period was out, however, the Patriotes would grab the lead back and enter the second intermission the same as they entered the first – up one goal.

In the third, early on, the Lakers would once again tie things up thanks to Robichaud's goal and second point of the evening.

From there, UQTR would score goals less than two minutes apart to go up 4-2 later in the third period.

Steven Deeg scored to cut the lead thanks to great work down low by his line. He forced the puck to the front of the net and on a second effort, snuck it in to cut the lead to just one.

Unfortunately, that's as close as the Lakers would get and UQTR would seal the game with an empty-netter with 38 seconds left.

The Patriotes ended up outshooting the Lakers 28-24 and Kirk Rafuse took the loss, despite playing another solid game in between the pipes.

Nipissing will now prepare to face their northern rivals, the Laurentian Voyageurs Saturday night on home ice.