Although the Lions now find themselves down 2-0 in their best-of-seven North Division semi-final against the Newfoundland Growlers, things could change quickly… Especially considering tonight marks the first home playoff game in the team’s short history. Expect a revved-up Colisée Vidéotron crowd!The team will appreciate the support of its home fans. After losing Game One and Game Two in St. John’s, and having two days off between games to reorganize, the Lions are hoping to turn things around, and to do so quickly.The Lions’ offense thus far is led by Olivier Archambault (one goal, three assists), Shawn St-Amant (two goals and one assist) and Peter Abbandonato (one goal and two assists). Head coach Éric Bélanger will be looking for greater production from his other forwards, and the team will have to cut down on its goals against, having allowed seven goals in Game One (including one into an empty net) and six goals in Game Two. Especially dangerous among the Growlers marksmen are Zach O’Brien (one goal and five assists), Tyler Boland (two goals and two assists) and Orrin Centazzo (three goals).Trois-Rivières will also have to be mindful of the number of penalties it is racking-up: Six in Game One and seven in Game Two.Puck drop tonight is 7:00 p.m.The schedule for the remaining games of the best-of-seven series is as follows:Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at Trois-Rivières (7:00 p.m.) Game 4 – Thursday, April 28 at Trois-Rivières (7:00 p.m.)Game 5 (if necessary) – Saturday, April 30 at Trois-Rivières (7:00 p.m.)Game 6 (if necessary) – Monday, May 2 at Newfoundland (5:30 p.m.)Game 7 (if necessary) – Tuesday, May 3 at Newfoundland (5:30 p.m.)
Players to watch:Lions’ defenceman Mathieu Gagnon’s +1 leads the team’s defence corps and he also has picked up one assist.Newfoundland defenceman Matt Hellickson has two goals and is +4.
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