Lions drop first game of three-game series to Admirals in Norfolk

(Montreal Canadiens affiliate) Lions de Trois-Rivières faced the (Winnipeg Jets affiliate) Admirals in Norfolk on Friday night for the fourth time this season, after having won two of the first three meetings between the teams. The Lions were looking to rebound after dropping two of three games to the Reading Royals last weekend.

Norfolk had 14 shots on goal in the first period while Trois-Rivières responded with eight of their own. But it was only late in the period when the goal lights went on at either end with the Lions’ Xavier Cormier scoring at 17:23 with assists going to his brother Tommy and Jacob Paquette. Just over a minute later Norfolk’s Stepan Timofeyev netted the equalizer. The Lions also would be starting the second period with a 4-on-3 power play.

Hostilities were high in the second period with eight penalties at one point called simultaneously. Norfolk’s Timofeyev scored his second goal of the game at 2:52 to give the Admirals a 2-1 lead and then Justin Young extended the lead to 3-1 when he scored at 10:59. The Lions’ Jakov Novak reduced the deficit to 3-2 at 11:43, the goal being his 100^th ECHL point.

The third period was scoreless until Trois-Rivières netminder Luke Cavallin made way for a sixth attacker: The Admirals scored not one but two empty net goals with Brady Fleurent scoring at 18:06 and then German Yavash at 19:23. The Lions went down 5-2 in the opening game of the three-game weekend series.