Estero, Florida, May 18, 2025 – The Trois-Rivières Lions (affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) are heading back home with a 2–0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final after earning a hard-fought 2–1 victory over the Florida Everblades (affiliate of the St. Louis Blues) on Sunday evening at Hertz Arena.
The Lions opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the game when Alex Beaucage pounced on a loose puck in front of the net and beat Cam Johnson for an early 1–0 lead. Florida responded a little over two minutes later, with Kyle Neuber tying the game at one. Trois-Rivières had three power-play opportunities in the period but couldn’t regain the lead.
Early in the second period, the Lions were forced to kill off a major penalty after Logan Nijhoff was assessed a five-minute major. Despite being shorthanded for over four minutes, not only did Trois-Rivières hold off the Everblades’ attack, but Justin Ducharme, set up by Xavier Cormier, scored shorthanded to restore the Lions’ lead. Florida fired 12 shots on net in the frame, but Luke Cavallin remained unbeatable.
The Everblades pushed again in the third period, but Cavallin and the Lions’ defensive structure stood strong. Florida was unable to generate the equalizer, and Trois-Rivières held on to earn their second win in less than 24 hours.
The series now shifts to Trois-Rivières, where the Lions will look to build on their momentum in front of their home crowd. Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m., followed by Game 4 on Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m., and Game 5 (if necessary) on Saturday, May 24 at 3 p.m. at Colisée Vidéotron.