Sir Elton John once said, “Saturday night’s alright for fighting. Get a little action in.” Saturday night lived up to that as the Florida Everblades met the Trois-Rivières Lions for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Florida has done well in the playoffs so far, with only one loss, while Trois-Rivières had a slightly tougher battle getting here, winning eight of the ten games played. Florida starts this series with Cam Johnson in net, and Trois-Rivières starts Luke Cavallin.
First Period
The puck dropped, and both teams got down to business. Skilled skating and defensive actions kept things tight, limiting shots on goal. Kyle Betts put Florida on the first power kill of the series with a high-sticking penalty in the first five minutes. As the teams entered the second half of the first period, things got chirpy, and scrums started breaking out.
Isaac Dufort gets Trois-Rivière their first penalty for roughing. Xavier Cormier, five minutes later, gets the Lions their second penalty for roughing. Florida’s Colton Hargrove gets the last penalty of the period for cross-checking. With the four penalties this period, neither team could make anything out of their power play opportunities. The period comes to a close scoreless, shots on goal 8-5 favoring the Everblades.
Second Period
The game began with solid play and smart decisions filling the first four minutes. Then Florida’s Dillon Hamaliuk was called for high-sticking. Trois was unable to capitalize on the man advantage once again. Players continued to show hostility but did well to keep their heads in check.
Kyle Havlena scored at 8:38, putting one in the back of the net and giving Trois-Rivières their first series lead.
The Everblades controlled the puck for most of the period, outshooting the Lions 16-2. Luke Cavallin was the saving grace for the Lions. The period ended 1-0 in favor of Trois-Rivières.
Third Period
Things got underway in the final period, and the Everblades pushed even harder than in previous periods. Solid decisions kept things tight until the seven-minute mark. Lions’ Chris Jandric was called for hooking, which led to a scrum breaking out. Things heated up, and Israel Mianscum for the Lions and Andrew Fyten for the Everblades both received roughing penalties.
At this point, both teams were tied at three shots on goal. Over the next 13 minutes, Florida outshot Trois-Rivières 6-2, but could not prevent the shutout. Trois-Rivières took Game One, 1-0. This was Florida’s second loss of the postseason. Luke Cavallin made 32 saves, and Cam Johnson made 11.
Three Stars of the Game
First Star – Luke Cavallin (Trois-Rivières)
Second Star – Kyle Havlena (Trois-Rivières)
Third Star – Nicolas Guay (Trois-Rivières)
Up Next
Game 2 is set for Sunday, May 18th, in Estero, Florida, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Florida faces an opportunity to even the series, setting the stage for what could be a thrilling, extended battle. Trois-Rivières, however, aims to carry its momentum forward and take a commanding 2-0 lead. This will be the final game in Florida before the series shifts north to Quebec.
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