Round 1 – Reading Royals vs. Lions de Trois-Rivières

TROIS-RIVIÈRES – (Montreal Canadiens affiliate) Lions de Trois-Rivières will face the (Philadelphia Flyers affiliate) Reading Royals in the first round of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup playoffs. This marks the first time the teams have faced one another in post-season play.

The head-to-head matchups :

The Lions and Royals crossed swords eight times in the 2024-25 regular season, with each team registering four wins and four losses, all in regulation time. The Lions, however, did record 26 goals in the eight games, four more than the Royals’ 22.

The Lions won two of the three games played at Colisée Vidéotron, while losing three of the five held at Santander Arena in Reading.

Trois-Rivières’ Xavier Cormier was the Lions’ top-scoring forward in the eight games against the Royals with 2-7-9 totals. Todd Skirving was Reading’s top scorer against the Lions; however the Royals’ captain is not on the playoff roster having suffered an injury a few weeks ago.

The importance of special teams:

Special teams could play a big role in determining the outcome of this series. The Lions were ranked second in the ECHL in power play efficiency at 24.5%, while the Royals were ranked 27th at 16.0%.

The Lions were also more effective when it came to penalty killing, placing fifth in the ECHL at 83.5%. The Royals were 19th at 79.3%.

The Pennsylvanians, however, had the upper hand in terms of number of shorthanded goals allowed this season, surrendering only three, the fewest in the ECHL.

The Royals finished the regular season on a high:

Reading only qualified for the playoffs by defeating the Worcester Railers 7-3 in their regular season finale. However, in their final 24 regular season games the Royals had a record of 15 wins, 6 losses, and 3 overtime losses, an impressive streak that could provide momentum going into the playoffs.

The Lions – who had been guaranteed a playoff spot over a month ago – won the North Division championship in early April, meaning the team’s remaining regular

season games had no significance on playoff positioning, perhaps contributing to the team’s lack of success as the schedule played itself out. Trois-Rivières was able to get back on the right track in the final game of the regular season when they defeated the (Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate) Wheeling Nailers 5-1.

Home ice advantage:

The ECHL’s playoff format is 2 – 3 – 2, meaning the Lions – as the higher-seeded team – will play the series’ first two games at home, as well as the final three games (if necessary). Trois-Rivières has performed well at Colisée Vidéotron this season, suffering only six regulation-time losses out of 36 games.

The Lions were also a force to be reckoned with on the road, winning 21 of 36 away games. The Royals lost 20 road games, including 17 in regulation time.

Series schedule:

Game #1 – Friday, April 18 – 7:00 p.m., Colisée Vidéotron

Game #2 – Saturday, April 19 – 7:00 p.m., Colisée Vidéotron

Game #3 – Monday, April 21 – 7:00 p.m., Santander Arena

Game #4 – Wednesday, April 23 – 7:00 p.m., Santander Arena

Game #5* - Thursday, April 24 – 7:00 p.m., Santander Arena

Game #6* - Sunday, April 27 – 3:00 p.m., Colisée Vidéotron

Game #7* - Tuesday, April 29 – 7:00 p.m., Colisée Vidéotron

*If necessary