Trois-rivieres Lions goaltender Luke Cavallin and his family made plans to run the Mont-Tremblant Spartan Races the weekend of June 14 and 15.
Located at the foot of Mont-Tremblant Resort just an hour and a half from Montreal, the events run the gamut from kids’ races to a challenging 50K course. It’s a family adventure that also tests one’s endurance.
There’s just one hitch.
After the Lions bested the Toledo Walleye in five games to clinch their first Kelly Cup Championship in franchise history, the team is holding a victory parade Sunday.
Which means Cavallin will have to skip the races.
“I think I got bailed out of (the races) for the parade,” the 6-foot-2, 196-pound netminder said with a chuckle. “I’ll get a little rest and get to enjoy the parade instead.”
Obviously, no one in Cavallin’s family is complaining. His performance in the playoffs was one for the ages. In 20 appearances, he went 15-5 with three shutouts, leading the playoffs with a 1.53 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage. He allowed two goals or less in 16 of his 20 appearances and earned the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player award.
As each series progressed, Cavallin only seemed to get stronger. His .958 save percentage in the Final was the best in a Riley/Kelly Cup Final in ECHL history. Cavallin’s 1.41 goals-against average in the Final ranks fourth all-time.
“I don’t think I really felt fatigued,” Cavallin said of his run through the playoffs. “Yes, everyone was banged up, guys were dealing with injuries as always. But for the most part, we were very healthy, myself included… I still felt like there was something more after.”
The Walleye can certainly attest to Cavallin’s nearly superhuman qualities in goal. After dropping Game 1 of the Final 3-1, Cavallin was practically unstoppable over the next four games, all victories for the Lions. Toledo managed only five goals over that span, and Trois-Rivieres scored first in all five games to set the tone early.
It was quite an accomplishment against a team that came into the Final averaging 3.60 goals per contest, second in the ECHL playoffs.
“We’ve gotta get to their goalie,” Walleye forward Brandon Hawkins said after Game 4. “He’s good, he’s playing out of his mind.”
Game 5 followed the same script, although Toledo outshot the Lions 49-25, including a 22-9 advantage in the second period. Cavallin made 48 saves while the Lions scored four goals, two of them coming on empty-netters late in the third period.
Cavallin was speechless for a moment after the final buzzer sounded, although it was difficult to say anything while being barraged by his teammates.
“I didn’t really have time for it to sink in,” Cavallin recalled. “It still hasn’t really sunk in yet. I think at some point, I’ll have time to look back on everything and really appreciate it. It’s unbelievable.”
In 32 games with the Lions during the regular season, Cavallin went 19-10-2 with a 2.13 GAA and a .929 SP. He made three appearances with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, going 1-1-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .897 SP.
The championship parade will begin at 12:15 Pm ET Sunday, departing from rue du Stade near Stade Quillorama, then continue along rue de l’Hippodrome, turning onto rue des Forges, followed by rue Royale, and finally heading toward the port area via rue St-Georges.
The procession will conclude near the banks of the St. Lawrence River, and a stage will be set up on site where members of the organization will address the crowd.
For Cavallin, that means the Spartan races will have to wait, and he’s perfectly fine with that.
“(The parade) will be my first one, and I’m really excited,” he said.
Photo Courtesy of the Trois-Rivieres Lions