The Trois-Rivières Lions (affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) put on quite a show Saturday night, skating to an impressive 6–3 victory over the Norfolk Admirals (Winnipeg Jets) in Virginia.
The opening period belonged to the Lions. Following a scrum along the boards, the visitors sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and Riley Kidney, well positioned in front of Isaac Poulter’s net, opened the scoring. Charles Martin and Logan Nijhoff picked up assists on the play.
The Lions kept rolling. Off a controlled zone entry, Joe Dunlap fed Riley Kidney, who fired a precise shot to net his second goal of the game. Logan Nijhoff recorded his second assist of the period.
Still in the first period and on the power play, defenseman Jacob Dion joined the party, blasting a shot from the blue line for a goal. Charles Martin collected his second point of the night, while Anthony Beauregard reached the 100-assist milestone in a Trois-Rivières Lions uniform.
The Admirals got on the board in the second period when Jaydon Dureau took a pass from Grant Hebert and beat goaltender Vincent Duplessis to cut the deficit.
The Lions answered quickly. Jacob Dion sent a shot from the point, and Anthony Poulin redirected the puck in front of the net for his eighth goal of the season, restoring a three-goal lead.
The Trifluvian offense didn’t slow down. Stationed behind the Admirals’ net, Isaac Dufort spotted Anthony Beauregard in prime scoring position. Beauregard earned his second point of the game, while Dufort recorded his first point since returning to the lineup last Friday.
In the third period, on a Norfolk power play, Brehdan Engum found the back of the net to narrow the gap.
Capitalizing on a major penalty assessed to the Admirals, the Lions sealed the win with a sixth goal by Cédric Desruisseaux. Riley Kidney picked up his third point of the night—earning first star honors—while Israel Mianscum added a second assist. Norfolk’s Jack Jaunich scored the final goal of the game with just over a minute remaining.
Quebec City native Vincent Duplessis earned his first win in a Trois-Rivières Lions uniform, stopping 11 of the 14 shots he faced.
The Lions will now head to Reading to face the Royals (Philadelphia Flyers) on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
The team returns to the Colisée Vidéotron on Thursday, February 6 at 7 p.m. The following day, Friday, February 7 at 3 p.m., the arena will dive into a galaxy far, far away with a Star Wars–themed game.
Tickets are available at lions3r.com or by contacting a sales representative at 819-519-1634, ext. 200.
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