Lions out to even series with Growlers

Following Friday night’s 5-3 loss to the Newfoundland Growlers at Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s, the Lions will be out to even the teams’ three-game series this afternoon with puck drop at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Trois-Rivières proved it could keep pace with the North Division leading Growlers, with the teams knotted at 3-3 after 40 minutes of play. In the third period, however, the Growlers demonstrated why they are the class of the division by scoring two unanswered goals and ultimately outshooting the Lions 25 to 16. Head coach Marc-André Bergeron will need to devise a strategy for the Lions to capitalize on their chances and keep the dangerous Growlers at bay.

Players to watch

How could it be anyone other than Ryan Francis for the Lions? On Friday night Francis recorded his first professional hat trick, scoring all three Lions’ goals in the team’s 5-3 loss to Newfoundland. His performance earned him being named the game’s second star. He now has 23 goals this season, tied for the team lead with Anthony Beauregard.

The Growlers’ Jonny Tychonick was Friday night’s first star, registering one goal and two assists. The defenceman now has 2-3-5 totals in the six games he has played.