If the Nipissing Lakers men's hockey team is going to make a run in the playoffs, they are going to have to beat the Carleton Ravens or UQTR Patriotes – or maybe both.

Throw McGill in there, and the Lakers have a tough test ahead of them when it comes to possible post-season competition, but this weekend, they'll get a preview of a two of those teams on home ice.

The Lakers will entertain the Ravens and Patriotes in the team's final two home games of the regular season, as the 2015-16 campaign winds down.

Coming off two big wins over the Laurentian Voyageurs, the Lakers are looking to continue their strong play and build momentum heading into yet another post-season berth – their seventh straight.

Nipissing can finish as high as fifth and as low as eighth and the final four games of the season will determine where they do end up.

The Lakers enter the weekend one game under the .500 mark at 10-11-3 and are 2-3-0 in their past five games.

On top of the momentum aspect and extending their winning streak, the Lakers will look to climb back to .500 on home, as they currently sport a 4-6-2 record at Memorial Gardens, compared to a 6-5-1 record away from North Bay.

In their lone meeting so far this year, the Lakers dropped a 4-1 decision to the Ravens in early December in Ottawa.

Nipissing was also on the wrong end of a 5-3 decision against UQTR near the end of a long homestand in late November.

Revenge will be on their minds this weekend, but more importantly, wins and points will be the Lakers main goal.

Carleton is coming off a loss to the Queens Gaels in their previous game, but prior to that setback, they had won six in a row and are 8-2-0 in their past 10 contests.

Offensively the Ravens are very potent, having scored 100 goals in just 24 games this season while surrendering only 55 – second best in the OUA.

The Ravens, although it will be tough, still have a shot at top spot in the division, so they'll be after key points on the road.

On Saturday, things don't get any easier for Nipissing, as they take on the division and league leading Patriotes, who have just three regulation and one overtime loss so far this year, compared to 20 victories.

As one of the three Quebec based teams, the Pats enter with five wins in a row and are 9-1-0 in their past 10 games, losing to Queens to kick off the month of January.

More impressive than their current streak is the fact they only have two losses since the start of November – one on Nov. 14 to Carleton and the setback against Queens.

After going 6-1-1 in October, UQTR is 14-2-0 since.

The Patriotes are the highest scoring team in the OUA, finding the back of the net 112 times this season, an average of more than 4.5 per game.

In comparison, the Lakers have scored just 63 times this year.

Regardless of the stats, both teams will be hungry for a win and points this weekend.

Nipissing hosts Carleton Friday at 8 p.m. and UQTR Saturday at 7 p.m., both at Memorial Gardens