Back-to-back losses to the Railers

TROIS-RIVIÈRES, February 3, 2024 – (Montreal Canadiens affiliate) Lions de Trois-Rivières suffered a second straight home loss in less than 24 hours on Saturday afternoon against the (New York Islanders affiliate) Worcester Railers, this time by a score of 6-4.

The Railers didn’t miss a beat since Friday night, opening the first period on Saturday afternoon with guns blazing. However, Lions’ goalkeeper Joe Vrbetic was initially up to the challenge, backstopping 15 of the 16 shots he faced. Only the Railers’ Blade Jenkins, who registered a hat trick on Friday, was able to find the back of the Lions’ net, giving Worcester a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.

The Railers juggernaut kept hammering away in the second period, notching three more goals including the second of the afternoon for Jenkins. The Lions, however, did manage to stay in the game with goals from Justin Ducharme and captain Cédric Montminy. Montminy is now only three goals away from reaching the 100-goal plateau in the ECHL.

Trailing 4-2 to start the third period, the Lions managed to work their way back to tie the game at 4-4 by the 8:18 mark with goals from Nicolas Guay and Alex-Olivier Voyer. The Railers’ Jack Quilivan spoiled the Trois-Rivières' comeback, however, scoring what turned out to be the winning goal at 15:24. Worcester's Jenkins then sealed the deal with an empty net goal to give him a second hat trick in as many days.

The Lions will now hit the road for the upcoming two weekends. Next Friday and Saturday the team will be in Norfolk, Virginia to play against the (Winnipeg Jets affiliate) Admirals. The following Saturday the (New Jersey Devils affiliate) Adirondack Thunder will host Trois-Rivières in Glens Falls, New York. It won’t be until Friday, February 23 when the Lions will be back on home Colisée Vidéotron ice when the (Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate) Newfoundland Growlers will be in town.

3 stars:

1^st star: #19 Blade Jenkins, Forward, Worcester Railers 

2^nd star: #24 Jack Quinlivan, Forward, Worcester Railers

3^rd star:  #86 Jakov Novak, Forward, Lions de Trois-Rivières