Estero, Florida, May 17, 2025 – The Trois-Rivières Lions (affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) took a 1–0 series lead in the ECHL Eastern Conference Final with a 1–0 victory over the Florida Everblades (affiliate of the St. Louis Blues) at Hertz Arena.
As expected, the opening frame of this long-awaited matchup—between two teams that hadn’t faced each other since March 2023—was tightly contested. Both clubs had a power play opportunity but were unable to convert. Goaltenders Luke Cavallin and Cam Johnson were sharp early, stopping 7 and 5 shots respectively.
The second period opened quietly again, until just before the halfway mark when Kyle Havlena scored his first goal as a Lion on Trois-Rivières' first shot of the frame. The goal sparked a wave of pressure from the Everblades, who launched 16 shots at Cavallin over the rest of the period. The Lions’ netminder stood tall, helped late in the frame by Wyatt McLeod, who blocked two point-blank shots to preserve the lead.
In the third period, Florida continued to press, but the Lions’ skaters delivered a complete defensive effort to protect the one-goal lead. Cavallin secured his second shutout of the postseason, turning away every attempt and sealing a critical Game 1 win on the road.
Game 2 will take place tomorrow (Sunday) at Hertz Arena. The series will then shift to Trois-Rivières for Games 3, 4, and (if necessary) 5 on May 21 (7 p.m.), May 23 (7 p.m.), and May 24 (3 p.m.).
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