The Lions are definitely in the race for the playoffs

In the first drive of the trip, the Cats appeared to be in position to take two points after taking a 3-0 lead, but they saw the Jacksonville Icemen come from behind and eventually win the match in overtime.

On Friday, the Mauritians managed to dispose of the ECHL league's worst team Atlanta Gladiators with a 3-1 win. It then traveled to South Carolina to play a doubleheader against the Stingrays, with the Lions posting a 4-1 win in the first. They finally ended the trip with a 3 to 2 defeat after leading for part of the match.

“Collecting five points out of eight is not normal, but we always hope to do better, especially since we are only minutes away from getting eight points. However, five points on a trip is not easy, it puts us where we wanted to be in the race for the playoffs,” said Lions assistant general manager Alex Cassino. .

With this harvest, Trois-Rivières find themselves out of the elimination picture in the North Division. They are established in 6th place in the division, but a small point from the 4th echelon gives access to the playoffs, currently hosted by the Maine Mariners, as well as the Newfoundland Growlers and two units from the 3rd place. Trois-Rivières also has a game ahead of its Canadian rivals. With this, in 5th place are Worcester Railers.

“The best hockey in Trois-Rivières has been played at the Colisée Vidéotron for three years. Having our team in the fight for the playoffs will be very exciting for our fans. We are very happy to offer it to them and we hope they will come in large numbers to cheer us on.”

Next week, the Colisée presents three shows at the Vidéotron, which will once again be a highlight at the end of this 2023-2024 campaign. It starts on Wednesday with a match against Reading Royals, the bottom team in the Northern Division, then two matches in two days against the Mariners.

“It's going to be another decisive week, like the six that have just gone by. We've been playing playoff hockey for a while. I'm thinking specifically when the 2012 Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup. To qualify for the playoffs at the end of this season, this team has to win a certain number of games. So, us As for, if we win our games, we'll go to the playoffs, but without that, we won't make it.

The concession record was tied for Novak

Over the weekend, striker Jakov Novak scored his 26th goal of the season with the Lions. In doing so, he equaled the concession record held by teammate Anthony Beauregard, a record he set last year.

The campaign has been a learning one for Novak, a 25-year-old skater in his first year as a professional, but his attacking style has allowed him to bring positives to the Lions. The Northeastern University alum has 50 points in 59 games this season, and he should set the team record for goals in a year by the end of the season.

“Jakov has improved a lot throughout the year. He has all the tools he needs to be a hockey player and go to the next level. Of course, there are things he needs to continue to refine, but he has come a long way to take his game to another level. We are very happy to have him with us.