QMJHL Weekend Preview

January 6, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


Lewiston, ME (QMJHL) - After splitting a pair of games with Victoriaville last week, the Lewiston MAINEiacs have recently started a stretch of four straight home games against opponents outside of the Telus East Division. The first of those contests took place on Tuesday night, when the MAINEiacs blanked the Drummondville Voltigeurs 7-0 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Francis Beauvillier had his second two-goal game in his last three outings, pacing an offensive attack that also saw goals from Sam Carrier, Matt Bissonnette, Kirill Kabanov, Michael Chaput, and Etienne Brodeur. Bissonnette and Olivier Dame-Malka were also big contributors when it came to assists, as each player recorded three helpers. Nicholas Champion preserved his first shutout in a Lewiston uniform with 19 saves. The win gave the MAINEiacs a 26-14-0-2 record (54 points), bringing them within one point of Drummondville for fifth place in the overall standings, and within two points of Gatineau for fourth place. In the Telus East Division, Lewiston remains in second place.

This weekend, the MAINEiacs will welcome the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to town for a pair of tilts. This season's version of the Huskies is significantly different from the one that won the Telus West Division a year ago. The C-Line of Jordan Caron, Patrice Cormier, and Philippe Cornet are all playing professionally, while goaltender Nicholas Champion has found a new home here in Lewiston. With all of those moves, Rouyn-Noranda has had a hard time clicking this season, putting together a record of 7-31-2-1 (17 points) in 41 games. The seven wins put them one ahead of Baie-Comeau, while the 17 points trail the Drakkar by four.

Who's Hot for the MAINEiacs

21-F-Francis Beauvillier (has had multiple points in 4 of his last 6 games)

73-F-Matt Bissonnette (has 7 points in his last 5 games)

26-F-Michael Chaput (has 7 points in his last 6 games)

19-F-Pierre-Olivier Morin (has 7 points in his last 6 games)

27-F-Cameron Critchlow (has at least 1 point in 4 of his last 5 games)

31-G-Nicholas Champion (has won 2 of his last 3 starts, stopping 58 of 62 shots)

Learning the Opposition

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Established in 1996

0 President's Cups

Notable Alumni: Brent Aubin, Guillaume Desbiens, Jean-Philippe Levasseur, Olivier Magnan, Mike Ribeiro

NHL Draft Picks

None

Who to Watch for

xx-F-Alexandre Comtois (12 goals, 14 assists, 26 points in 41 games)

27-F-Jeremi Janneteau (7 goals, 14 assists, 21 points in 41 games)

28-F-Jessyko Bernard (14 goals, 5 assists, 19 points in 37 games)

16-F-Jason Kelly (7 goals, 11 assists, 18 points in 34 games)

45-D-Gabriel O'Connor (4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points in 41 games)

33-G-Mickael Audette (7-21-3 record, 4.49 GAA, .861 Sv% in 34 games)

Special Teams

Lewiston Power Play: 32-for-171 (18.7%), 12th

Rouyn-Noranda Power Play: 24-for-166 (14.5%), 17th

Lewiston Penalty Kill: 177-for-217 (81.6%), T-4th

Rouyn-Noranda Penalty Kill: 154-for-217 (71.0%), 18th

Season Series

Lewiston 1, Rouyn-Noranda 1

All-Time Series

Lewiston 10, Rouyn-Noranda 8, 3 ties

All-Time Series in Lewiston

Lewiston 5, Rouyn-Noranda 3, 2 ties

This Weekend in the Telus East Division

The Quebec Remparts haven't lost in regulation in eleven straight games, and they will take that streak on the road for a pair of tilts this weekend. Quebec's weekend begins on Friday night in Shawinigan, where they will face a Cataractes team that is currently battling for eighth place overall, as well as home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Then, on Sunday, the Remparts will look for their fourth win of the year against Baie-Comeau.

Thanks to two straight wins, the Victoriaville Tigres now have a one point lead over Rimouski for third place in the Telus East Division. The Tigres will be on home ice for both of their games this weekend, beginning on Friday night against the Gatineau Olympiques, who have won seven games in a row. One day later, Victoriaville will welcome Chicoutimi to town for a divisional match-up.

The Rimouski Oceanic could move back into third place by the end of the weekend, but will face a tough task with three road games against the Maritimes Division. The Oceanic will get things started with a pair of games against the PEI Rocket on Friday and Saturday, before finishing their journey in Moncton on Sunday.

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens appear to be cementing a fifth place finish in the division, and will head out on the road for a couple of games against the "-ville's" this weekend. The Victoriaville Tigres are on the schedule first for the Sagueneens on Saturday, before Sunday's weekend finale against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar are home for two this weekend, as two of the best teams from the past two-plus seasons will invade Centre Henry Leonard. Baie-Comeau will welcome Drummondville on Friday, enjoy an off day on Saturday, and host Quebec on Sunday.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL

After Gatineau's brief trip to Victoriaville, one of the hottest teams in the league will conclude their weekend road trip against the top team in the Telus West Division - the Montreal Junior. This showdown comes on Sunday afternoon, with the Junior currently leading the Olympiques by five points.

With their nearby rivals in Lewiston, the Val-d'Or Foreurs will also embark on a venture away from home, playing two games within their division. Val-d'Or will face-off against Montreal on Saturday, before visiting Shawinigan on Sunday. The Foreurs ended a nine-game skid on Tuesday, and are looking to gain ground on the rest of the pack.

The Halifax Mooseheads will get a glimpse of the 2010 President's Cup Final this weekend, as the Moncton Wildcats and Saint John Sea Dogs are both on the docket. Moncton arrives on Friday night, while the Sea Dogs will make their appearance on Saturday, having lost in regulation just five times all year.

The final two games on this weekend's slate will see Olivier Roy's old team and new team meet up, as Cape Breton travels to Acadie-Bathurst for tilts on Friday and Saturday.



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2011


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