The Lions de Trois-Rivières and the Newfoundland Growlers played the ultimate-stakes game on Tuesday evening. Their best-of-seven first-round series was pushed to the brink in a final confrontation won by the Growlers 5-2 in front of 3,289 fans in attendance in St. John’s, bringing a close to the Lions' inaugural ECHL season.
For this elimination game, head coach Eric Bélanger had to sit Olivier Archambault because of injury, and you would have to think that it’s something that Archambault has been carrying for a while given how his play has dramatically dropped off.
Archambault was replaced in the lineup by Justin Ducharme, and it was Ducharme who had the best chance for the Lions in the first period, accepting a two-on-one pass from Jonathan Joannette, but seeing his shot stopped by Growlers starter Keith Petruzzelli from point-blank range.