The Trois-Rivières Lions (affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens) suffered a 4–3 loss on Friday at Colisée Vidéotron in a high-intensity matchup against the Adirondack Thunder (New Jersey Devils).
The visitors opened the scoring as Justin Taylor beat goaltender Hunter Jones.
The Lions responded quickly in the first period. Isaac Dufort tied the game after taking a pass from Joe Dunlap and firing a quick shot past goaltender Jeremy Brodeur. The Laval native brought his season total to 14 goals. Landon Fuller also picked up an assist.
The Lions carried that momentum into the second period. Just five minutes in, Joe Dunlap capitalized on a rebound from Isaac Dufort to score into an open net. The two linemates each recorded their second point of the night, while defenseman Charles Martin earned the secondary assist on the play.
However, goals by Brannon McManus and Jeremy Hanzel late in the period allowed the American side to head to the locker room with a one-goal lead.
Just one minute into the third period, the Lions evened the score with their fourth shorthanded goal of the season. Édouard Charron made a slick move to beat the goaltender and net his second goal of the campaign. Jake Gravelle and Anthony Poulin were credited with assists.
Moments later, Brandon McManus scored his second of the game to restore the Thunder’s lead.
Despite strong offensive pressure late in the game, the Lions were unable to complete the comeback and fell in the opening game of the weekend series. With the loss, the Lions have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
Both teams will now travel to Glens Falls, where the Thunder and the Lions will face off twice. The first game is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m., followed by another on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Tickets are available at lions3r.com or by contacting a sales representative at 819-519-1634, ext. 200.
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