NORTH BAY, Ont. (February, 2016) - Queen's (9-2-6-2) fell to the The Nipissing Lakers (11-1-5-5) 3-2 on Friday night, despite a strong special teams performance.

The two teams previously met earlier in the season, with Queen's coming out on top with a tight 3-2 overtime win at home. They came into the game sitting four points behind Nipissing in the OUA standings.

Game Flow
Looking to get on the board early and dictate the pace of the game on the road, the Gaels struck first. On their first man-advantage of the game, Jessica Wakefield (Lucan, Ont.) fired one past the Lakers goaltender to take the early lead. The second place team didn't let that lead hold for very long though. Nipissing scored a power play marker of their own in the final minute of the first, tying the game before the teams headed to the locker room after 20 minutes.

The late-period momentum carried through and the home team struck two more times. 5:35 in, Brooklyn Irwin netted her sixth of the season to give the Lakers a one-goal lead. Building on that even further, less than a minute later they scored again and doubled their lead on the visiting Gaels. Queen's did all they could in the second, but were unable to capitalize on their 11 shots on net.

Looking to play the upset and complete the comeback, the Gaels kept the home team on their toes as the final period began. They continued to lead in shots, and continued to be successful on the power play as well. The OUA's leading power play goal-scorer Katrina Manoukarakis (Scarborough, Ont.) netted her 11th of the year, closing the gap on the scoreboard. Queen's continued the pressure but were unable to tie things up and put another one past goalie Jacqueline Rochefort.

The Gaels took the loss and split the season series with the Lakers in 2015-16.

By the Numbers
7 - power play goals on the year for Katrina Manoukarakis, tops in the OUA
4 - her 20 points on the year also place her fourth in the league
11 - assists on the season for Mary Coughlin (Amherstburg, Ont.) leading the team
28 - shots on net by the Gaels in the loss
1136:45 - minutes played by goalie Caitlyn Lahonen (Saskatoon, Sask.) on the season, leading the league

Up Next
Queen's will head to Sudbury to play Laurentian (8-3-8-2) on Saturday. They'll look to grab some points from the Voyageurs to remain near the top of the league.