On Saturday, the Trois-Rivieres Lions, ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, defeated the Toledo Walleye (Detroit Red Wings) 4-1 to become the 2024-25 Kelly Cup champions. The Lions are the second Canadian team in the league’s history to win the title, following the Newfoundland Growlers (Toronto Maple Leafs) in 2019.
The championship run began with a four-game sweep against the Reading Royals, followed by a six-game series win against the Norfolk Admirals in the North Division finals. They secured a spot in the final by defeating the three-peat champions Florida Everblades in six games. The Canadiens affiliate began the final on the wrong foot by allowing three unanswered goals to blow their lead. The Lions responded with four consecutive wins against the Detroit Red Wings affiliate.
“I can’t describe how I feel right now. It’s because of the fans, the players, and the staff. There were people who didn’t believe in us, but we did,” coach and general manager Ron Choules told Le Nouvelliste newspaper.
“From the beginning of the year, we knew we had a club that could win. We just had to see if we were capable of doing it. After the first 15 games, we knew we could go far. We didn’t even play our best hockey and we’re champions. It’s incredible,” added team president Alex Cousineau.
Cavallin Earns Kelly Cup Playoff MVP
Luke Cavallin won the June M. Kelly Award presented to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs. Cavallin finished the playoffs with 14-5 record, 1.53 goals-against-average, and .948 save percentage. On Saturday, the goaltender earned all three stars of the contest after making 48 saves in the deciding victory.
The 24-year-old joined the organization in September by signing a two-way AHL contract, but spent the majority of the year in Trois-Rivieres. He played three games with the Rocket during a stint in December, while Jakub Dobes sat out due to a lower body injury.
Stability Pays Off
Winning the championship in the franchise’s fourth year of existence is an impressive accomplishment. The reality is that it almost didn’t happen.
Last season, the league gave Deacon Sports and Entertainment (DSE) until April 2nd to find buyers for the clubs owned in Trois-Rivieres and Newfoundland, following failure to fulfill obligations. The situation looked gloom for both franchises until the 11th hour, when Spire Hockey stepped up with an offer for the sale of the Lions. Without a buyer found, the ECHL terminated the Newfoundland Growlers franchise.
DSE’s financial difficulties left a sour taste with the city, suppliers, and the population. Attendance declined despite the team clinching a playoff spot. Several players fled overseas to complete the season as they sensed things going sour.
Spire Hockey led by Jeff Dickerson came in and focused on rebuilding the broken relationships. They signed a new long term deal with the city for the use of Colisee Videotron, covered all the debts that the previous owners had with suppliers, and renewed the affiliation with the Montreal Canadiens for several seasons.
The new ownership’s commitment to the Lions translated to a 15-percent increase in attendance during the regular season and a club record 4,777 fans at Colisee Videotron to watch their club hoist the Kelly Cup.
