Lions remain in playoff hunt with win over Railers

Trois-Rivières, March 9, 2024 – (Montreal Canadiens affiliate) Lions de Trois-Rivières avenged Friday night’s loss to the (New York Islanders affiliate) Worcester Railers with a 3-1 victory over Worcester Saturday afternoon at Colisée Vidéotron. With the victory, the Lions are now within four points of fourth place in the North Division and the last qualifying playoff spot.

The Lions got off to a fast start in the first period, scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes of play. Trois-Rivières’ Jakov Novak opened the scoring with his 21st of the season, and then Justin Ducharme scored his second shorthanded goal of the week to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.

The Lions extended their lead to 3-0 at 3:57 of the second period when Nicolas Guay beat Worcester goalkeeper Cole Ceci. The Railers finally found the back of the Lions’ net at 7:44 of the period with a Trevor Cosgrove goal, reducing the Lions’ lead to 3-1. The period also saw some solid bodychecks, notably a mid-ice hit dished out by Lions newcomer Jacob Paquette.

The third period was a highlight reel performance for Lions goalkeeper Strauss Mann who stopped all 17 shots he faced to preserve Trois-Rivières’ lead.

The Lions will now take a few days off before returning to action on Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. when the (Dallas Stars affiliate) Idaho Steelheads will be visiting Colisée Vidéotron. The Lions and Steelheads will also square off against one another on Friday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m.

3 stars:

1st star: Justin Ducharme, Lions de Trois-Rivières

2nd star: Nicolas Guay, Lions de Trois-Rivières

3rd star: Strauss Mann, Lions de Trois-Rivières