The final weekend of the regular season for the Montreal Canadiens' ECHL affiliate will determine their playoff fate.
The dark cloud around the Trois-Rivieres Lions ownership is on hold as Deacon Sports Entertainment (DSE) has reached an agreement for the sale of the team in principle, pending league approval.
The Lions continued their playoff hunt by hosting the Maine Mariners (Boston Bruins) on Wednesday, while their weekend tripleheader against the Newfoundland Growlers was cancelled as the ECHL Board of Governors terminated the membership of the franchise.
Wednesday: Maine Mariners 5 - Trois-Rivieres Lions 2
The Mariners had 1-0 lead late in the first period when Tyler Hylland scored his first goal as a pro to tie the game through 20 minutes. Maine recorded the next four goals to take a commanding lead with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. Hylland made it a three-goal deficit with his second of the night.
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Roster News
Strauss Mann continued his back and forth between Laval and Trois-Rivieres. He was recalled by the Rocket on Thursday following Wednesday's loss where he allowed five goals on 28 shots.
Nicolas Lariviere was declared out week-to-week with an upper body injury and did not dress for the contest against Maine.
Jakov Novak was named the player of the month for the month of March. During the month, the forward obtained 10 goals and 15 points in 15 games.
On Friday, Kirby Proctor signed a contract with the club. The 22-year-old forward completed his fifth season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he totaled 15 points in 40 matches.
On the same day, Ben Tupker was suspended and removed from the team's roster to allow the forward to continue his academic journey. He obtained two assists in eight matches for the Lions.
Pending Sale
The potential purchaser of the Lions franchise is reported to be Jeff Dickerson. Dickerson is co-owner of Spire Holding, the parent company of Spire Sports + Entertainment, Spire Motorsports, Spire Hockey, and Track Enterprises.
Through the several companies under the Spire Holding umbrella, the group owns a three-car NASCAR Cup Series race team, the Rapid City Rush (Calgary Flames) and Greenville Swamp Rabbits (Los Angeles Kings), both franchises in the ECHL.
If the ECHL approves the sale from DSE to Spire Holding, there's no guarantee but it is believed that the team will remain in Trois-Rivieres. A new lease will need to be negotiated between the city and the new owner to keep the team at the Colisee Videotron.
It's unclear when the sale will be finalized or when the ECHL Board of Governors will vote on the transaction.
Up Next
The Lions wrap up the regular season by hosting the Worcester Railers (New York Islanders) for a tripleheader starting Friday at Colisee Videotron. The final three games will determine if the team will clinch a playoff spot.
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