A crucial win in the quest for a playoff spot

Game five of the current homestand at Colisée Vidéotron showed the Lions meant business right from the opening face-off against Reading. It took less than two minutes for birthday boy Alexis D’Aoust to get the Lions on the scoreboard and Trois-Rivières kept the pressure on for the entire period. Considering the Royals are the North Division leaders, it’s was pretty impressive stuff. After 20 minutes of play head coach Éric Bélanger’s squad was leading 1-0.The Lions picked up right where they left off before the intermission and continued to apply pressure on the Royals with strong offensive play, much to the delight of the large crowd in attendance. Thanks to a terrific set up from Lions’ captain Cédric Montminy, forward Jonathan Joannette took advantage of his pinpoint pass and the Lions increased their lead to 2-0. However, Reading’s Brennan Saulnier poured a bit of cold water on the Lions performance by getting the Royals on the scoreboard. After two periods of play the Lions were ahead 2-1.The action remained fast and furious throughout the third period. The Lions’ D’Aoust scored his second of the game with assists going to Hayden Shaw and Brenden Locke to give Trois-Rivières a 3-1 lead. However, just over two minutes later Reading’s Grant Cooper scored to reduce the Lions’ lead to 3-2. And in spite of their determined performance right from the start of the game, the Lions were guilty of some undisciplined play in the latter stages, which helped to give the Royals a sign of life. With just under 12 minutes remaining in the third period, Dominic Cormier tied the game for Reading. With the score now 3-3 after three periods of play, it was on to overtime.Both teams had good scoring chances in the extra period, but it was Lions’ forward Julien Nantel who scored by going top-shelf. The Lions got the win they dearly needed, a 4-3 OT victory against Reading, and means Trois-Rivières remains right in the thick of the playoff chase.Next up for the Lions in their quest for a ticket to the postseason is a Colisée Vidéotron match-up with the Cincinnati Cyclones on Wednesday, April 6.