The Trois-Rivières Lions have clinched a Kelly Cup Playoff position with their win over the Worcester Railers. The two teams met this past weekend for a three-game series, and the Lions beat the Railers 2 out of 3. Friday night, the Railers won 3-2; they hoped to continue that win streak and clinch their own Kelly Cup Playoffs spot on Saturday night. The Lions said Ça ne se passe pas sur ma glace! Taking control of the series, winning 2-0, then following up Sunday with a 4-0 win.
The Lions have had quite a tumultuous season. A few weeks ago, they learned they may no longer be a team, Then, they were purchased by Spire Sports and joined the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and the Rapid City Rush in their ownership. This came with the folding of the Newfoundland Growlers, leaving the Trois-Rivières Lions the only Canadian team in the ECHL.
This last season, the Lions finished 31-30-5-3 with 69 games played, which about equaled their performance last season. However, after missing those games against the folded Growlers, they came out better, especially with all the stress and drama added to their load the last month. This shows that they are a team that shouldn’t be sold short.
Going into the Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Lions have the option to bring Goaltenders Strauss Mann, Zachary Emond, and Joe Vrbetic. How do they line up? Mann has a 2.59 GAA and .910 SV%, Emond has a 2.93 GAA and .904 SV%, and Vrbetic has a 3.52 GAA and .891 SV%. This gives them three great goalie options. In front of the net, Defensemen Miguel Tourgny, Chris Ortiz, Brycen Martin, and Cory Thomas have a combined goal total of 18 Goals, 85 Assists, and 195 Penalty Minutes. Leading on Offense, we have Jakov Novak, Alex-Olivier Voyer, Justin Ducharme, and Nolan Yaremko combined with 83 Goals and 94 Assists.
The Trois-Rivières Lions’ 21-22 inaugural season was the only time they had reached the Kelly Cup Playoffs before today, and they lost in the first round. Last season, they did not qualify, as they finished 6th in the North Division.
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