Lions begin the crucial homestretch

The Lions begin their final push to the playoffs this evening in the first of back-to-back away games against the Railers in Worcester, Massachusetts. The second of the two games will be played on Saturday.Of the Lions’ six remaining regular-season games, five are against the Railers and one has the team facing the Adirondack Thunder.The significance of the five games against Worcester cannot be understated: The Lions are currently in third place in the North Division with a .516 winning percentage, while the Railers are in fourth spot with a .508 winning percentage (like the Lions, the Railers also have six regular-season games remaining).In fifth place in the North are the Maine Mariners with a 0.508 winning percentage. The Mariners also have six regular-season games left on their schedule.Head coach Éric Bélanger knows the significance of this weekend’s match-up and he’ll be urging his team to play at their highest potential.Players to watch:Lions’ forward Anthony Nellis, he’s recorded 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points this season.Worcester forward Jordan Smotherman is the Railers leading scorer with 48 points (28 goals and 20 assists) in 55 games played.