The Gladstone Lakers returned to the ice Friday night for a battle with the Minnedosa Bombers. This was a matchup to see who's taken sole possession of first place in the East Division standings, and the Lakers were defeated 7-1. 

Head coach Dale Evenson says the break for the holidays had its pros and cons, as the players got a nice break but also had what he referred to as 'turkey legs' on Friday.

Sean Kubas, Jory Geddes, and Jesse Toth have been a big part of the success, all averaging over two points per game. 

Evenson talks about where he wants to see improvement during the second half of the season.

"Our defensive play. We have a very good D-core this year, and they move the puck very well but I still think we have to tighten up in our own zone. We give up too many goals," Evenson continues. "That's one thing we need to improve on as the year goes on."

Through ten games, Gladstone has one of the best records in the entire Tiger Hills Hockey League, and Evenson says their main goal for the rest of the year is to keep it that way.

"We have some big games coming up the rest of the season. We'd like to finish first if we can. That's always the goal. I think we have a team that can keep putting the wins together. Basically, we'll keep playing hockey and try to win some games."

The Lakers will look to snatch their eighth victory of the season on Saturday, January 7, when they host the MacGregor Wild.