There are only six games left in the regular season and the next two are easily the most important for the Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team.

The Lakers suffered a pair of losses this past weekend, a 5-3 setback to the UOIT Ridegbacks and a 3-1 loss to the Queens Gaels, both on home ice.

The losses – Nipissing's fourth and fifth in a row – put the Lakers in a bit of a desperate spot, as they prepare for a home-and-home weekend against Laurentian, the team chasing them for the final playoff spot in the OUA East Division.

Friday night, the Lakers held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 thanks to goals by Dylan Staples and a power play goal by Erik Robichaud, but UOIT answered each time and scored twice before the 11-minute mark of the third period to grab a 4-2 lead.

Guillaume Naud answered with a power play goal to cut the lead, but a late goal put the game away and the Ridgebacks walked away with the victory.

Staples finished with two points to lead the Lakers, while Domenic Graham made 23 saves in the loss.

On Saturday, Nipissing once again scored first as Craig Campbell found the back of the net early in the first period, set up by Joel Herbert.

Unfortunately that was all the offence Nipissing would receive, as Queens scored three goals in a row including an empty-netter to claim the two points.

Lakers goalie Kirk Rafuse, despite being tagged with the loss, as was solid making 30 saves.

Nipissing is just 2-8-0 in their past 10 games and have fallen to seventh place in the East Division, just one point up on Laurentian.

On the plus side, the Lakers are only two points behind Concordia for sixth place and with a strong weekend, can move up a spot.

Friday night the Lakers begin a two game set with the Voyageurs as both teams look to get on track as they head down the home stretch of the season.

Nipissing is 0-1-1 versus Laurentian this year, losing in a shootout at Laurentian in the second game of the season, and despite a dominant performance, came up short 4-2 on home ice in late November.

The Lakers have peppered the Laurentian net, firing 81 shots towards the Vees net in the two matchups this year, while allowing just 54.

Defensively Nipissing is in the middle of the pack, but offensively, they have struggled to score putting up just 54 goals in 22 games so far this season – an average of just 2.45 per game.

Entering the game, both the Lakers and Vees are 2-8-0 in their past 10 and are on losing streak, with Nipissing having dropped five in a row and Laurentian on a two game slide.

Those streaks will end this weekend one way or another, as the two teams wrap up their season series with two games.

The final head-to-head series begins Friday night in Sudbury, with the rematch Saturday night in North Bay, as part of the Lakers annual Pink The Rink game.

Game time is 7:45 p.m. Friday in Sudbury and 7 p.m. Saturday in North Bay.