Year one for the Trois-Rivieres Lions ends... And year two is right around the corner

It was one year ago today – June 10, 2021 – when Trois-Rivières Lions president and chief executive officer Mark Weightman, accompanied by the team’s vice-president and general manager, Marc-André Bergeron, unveiled the identity of the new ECHL franchise that would be playing its games in the Colisée Vidéotron. And plenty has happened in the year since that announcement was made. Looking back on the year that was, the team’s leadership group is proud of what was accomplished, and their attention is now focused upon drawing up the end-of-season roster (that will be due on either June 15 or June 22, depending upon how the Kelly Cup final plays out). To celebrate its historic first year, the organization is offering the chance to win a spectacular trip for two to Florida accompanying the team: Valued at more than $4,000, the prize package includes tickets to the Lions’ three games, air travel and delicious meals. Contest details can be found at: https://www.lions3r.com/en/tickets/season-tickets-concours-floride. 

As the Lions’ second season approaches (the first game on the 2022-23 calendar is an October 21 match-up at Colisée Vidéotron with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop), the team’s coaching staff – Éric Bélanger, Pascal Rhéaume and Alexandre Cousineau – remains intact. They’ll be out to improve upon the inaugural campaign when the Lions had a 34-29-6 regular season record before giving the Newfoundland Growlers all they could handle in the North Division semi-finals. The 2021-22 season was replete with strong emotions and many firsts which have been commemorated in a video anthology that is now available on the Trois-Rivières Lions official website.

One of the organization’s main objectives is to build the team’s identity by recruiting players who mainly come from Quebec. And while COVID-19, frequent recalls and numerous injuries all played havoc with the team’s line-up, VP and GM Bergeron did manage to stick to his promise that the majority of the team’s players who proudly wore the Lions uniform were from Quebec.

“We are proud of the accomplishments of our players and staff who overcame the challenges we faced to ultimately qualify for the playoffs in our first season. And to have achieved that, what with so many players from Quebec, is a source of great pride for us. We intend to continue offering quality hockey to our fans next season." – Marc-André Bergeron.

The Lions’ 2021-22 home debut was back on October 21, 2021 at Colisée Vidéotron in front of a sold-out crowd numbering 4,500. The team averaged 3,058 spectators per game during the season, excluding games that were played at reduced capacity, and qualified for the playoffs in front of 4,102 enthusiastic fans on April 15. 2022.

“The support we received from our fans was a tremendous help to our organization, and we wasted no time in making our presence felt in the ECHL and qualifying for the playoffs. We were delighted to see that Quebecers from throughout the province came to identify with our team, and we are excited to launch our second season and continue writing our history together.” – Mark Weightman.

For more information or to purchase season tickets at a 25 per cent discount, please visit www.lions3r.com. Season ticket holders from the 2021-22 season have until June 17, 2022 to reserve their seats. From that point onwards, the general public will be granted access.