Lions record first victory in February

TROIS-RIVIÈRES – (Montreal Canadiens affiliate) Lions de Trois-Rivières rediscovered
their winning ways on Friday night with a 4-0 win against the Newfoundland Growlers. It
marked the first victory in the month of February for the Lions, who were trying to avoid
succumbing to a sixth consecutive defeat.

The Lions were obviously pleased to be playing in front of their home fans as Trois-
Rivières dominated the opening minutes of the game. John Parker-Jones opened the
scoring barely two minutes into the first period, and then Miguel Tourigny doubled the
Lions’ lead three minutes later, with defenceman Chris Ortiz’s assist on the goal being
his 99th career ECHL point.

The second period gave way to a much more defensive style of play, with neither team
able to find the back of the net. Lions’ goaltender Strauss Mann, newly arrived from the
AHL’s Laval Rocket, made several key saves to preserve the Lions’ 2-0 lead.

The Lions were determined not to relinquish their two-goal lead in the third period:
Brycen Martin scored less than two minutes into the period and then Nicolas Guay
scored the insurance marker at 13:10. Trois-Rivières was able to preserve the shutout
for Mann, who was a brick wall in front of the Lions’ net.

The second game of this two-game series starts at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at
Colisée Vidéotron, and Lions’ captain Cedric Montminy will once again be hoping to
score his 100th career ECHL goal.

1st star: Strauss Mann, Lions de Trois-Rivières
2nd star: Miguel Tourigny, Lions de Trois-Rivières
3rd star: John Parker-Jones, Lions de Trois-Rivières