Trois-Rivières, April 12, 2025 – (Montreal Canadiens affiliate) Lions de Trois-Rivières disappointed the 3,441 faithful in attendance at Colisée Vidéotron on Saturday afternoon, losing 3-1 to the (Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate) Wheeling Nailers.
The teams spent a large chunk of the first period playing giveaway / takeaway, as both the Lions and Nailers frequently found themselves losing possession of the puck, resulting in few shots on goal. Wheeling was the first to light the lamp when Lars Rodne beat Lions goaltender Hunter Jones at 8:10 of the opening period, but Trois-Rivières netted the equalizer at 19:58 when Nicolas Guay deflected a Chris Jandric shot from the point. Xavier Cormier had an assist on the goal – his 42nd of the season – and thereby became the Lions’ all-time single-regular-season assist leader.
The second period was more of the same for the Lions, generating only six shots on the Wheeling net. The Nailers took advantage of Trois-Rivières’ lack of offensive firepower when Chicoutimi, Quebec native Jordan Martel regained the lead for Wheeling at 7:58.
The Lions had several good scoring opportunities in the third period, but those opportunities didn’t translate into goals, while at the opposite end of the ice Wheeling’s Matt Koopman sealed the deal with an empty net marker at 19:42.
The teams close out their respective regular seasons Sunday afternoon at Colisée Vidéotron. Puck drop is at 3:00 p.m.
1st star: Jordan Martel, Wheeling Nailers
2nd star: Lars Rodne, Wheeling Nailers
3rd star: Xavier Cormier, Lions de Trois-Rivières