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QMJHL Weekend Preview

January 20, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


Lewiston, ME (QMJHL) - After four straight home games to start the month of January, the Lewiston MAINEiacs are now in the midst of four consecutive games away from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. The MAINEiacs started that stretch last weekend, splitting a pair of decisions against the Victoriaville Tigres. Lewiston fell 7-5 in the Saturday game, before rebounding to edge the Tigres 4-3 in a shootout on Sunday afternoon. The MAINEiacs head into this weekend with a 30-15-0-2 record (62 points), which is good for second place in the Telus East Division and sixth place overall. The race for positioning is tight, as Lewiston trails fourth place Drummondville by two points, while leading seventh place Acadie-Bathurst by one point.

Scenarios are aplenty this weekend for the MAINEiacs to clinch a playoff spot for the eighth season in a row. With the magic number currently sitting at four, the simplest scenario would feature two wins by Lewiston. With that scenario, no extra help would be necessary. If the MAINEiacs are to get those two victories, they will have to do so against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Rimouski Oceanic.

As was noted above, Saturday's game will be a battle for positioning, as the Titan enter the contest with a 30-14-0-1 record (61 points), one point back of Lewiston. Acadie-Bathurst has won five straight games, while going 8-1-0-1 in their last ten games. The Titan will be in action on Thursday, visiting PEI. Lewiston and Acadie-Bathurst split two games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in September, with the Titan winning 3-1 and the MAINEiacs winning 2-1.

Sunday's game features two division rivals, as Lewiston visit Rimouski for the first time since October 27th. On that night, Lewiston fell behind 1-0, before scoring four straight goals in a 4-2 win. The MAINEiacs and Oceanic also split a pair of games to start the season at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, as Lewiston won 8-3 and Rimouski won 3-2. The Oceanic are currently in fourth place in the Telus East Division and eleventh overall with a record of 23-22-1-1 (48 points).

Who's Hot for the MAINEiacs

26-F-Michael Chaput (is on a 6-game point streak, with 13 points in the span)

23-F-Etienne Brodeur (has 12 points in his last 6 games)

44-D-Olivier Dame-Malka (is on a 6-game point streak, with 10 points in the span)

73-F-Matt Bissonnette (has 10 points in his last 6 games)

71-F-Kirill Kabanov (has 8 points in his last 6 games)

1-G-Andrey Makarov (has won 3 of his last 4 games, stopping 102 of 114 shots)

Learning the Opposition (Saturday)

Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Established in 1998

1 President's Cup (1999)

Notable Alumni: Francois Beauchemin, Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Girard, Danny Groulx, Mathieu Perreault

NHL Draft Picks

Jeremie Blain (Edmonton)

David Gilbert (Chicago)

Olivier Roy (Edmonton)

Who to Watch for

12-F-Gabriel Levesque (23 goals, 43 assists, 66 points in 45 games)

58-F-Sebastien Trudeau (22 goals, 23 assists, 45 points in 45 games)

91-F-Jonathan Lessard (24 goals, 19 assists, 43 points in 39 games)

43-F-Zach O'Brien (18 goals, 25 assists, 43 points in 42 games)

67-F-David Gilbert (19 goals, 16 assists, 35 points in 37 games)

56-D-Olivier Hotte (5 goals, 22 assists, 27 points in 41 games)

31-G-Olivier Roy (16-9-0 record, 2.99 GAA, .902 Sv%, 1 shutout in 25 games)

Learning the Opposition (Sunday)

Rimouski Oceanic

Established in 1995

2 President's Cups (2000, 2005)

Notable Alumni: Ryane Clowe, Sidney Crosby, Michael Frolik, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards

NHL Draft Picks

Jakub Culek (Ottawa)

Gleason Fournier (Detroit)

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (Buffalo)

Petr Straka (Columbus)

Who to Watch for

71-F-Felix Lefrancois (20 goals, 30 assists, 50 points in 44 games)

63-F-Alex Belzile (20 goals, 29 assists, 49 points in 44 games)

64-F-Jarrad Struthers (17 goals, 14 assists, 31 points in 46 games)

6-D-Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (8 goals, 22 assists, 30 points in 40 games)

20-F-Alex Emond (17 goals, 12 assists, 29 points in 35 games)

14-D-Gleason Fournier (8 goals, 20 assists, 28 points in 38 games)

37-G-Morgan Clark (8-6-1 record, 2.72 GAA, .904 Sv% in 16 games)

Special Teams

Lewiston Power Play: 37-for-190 (19.5%), 12th

Acadie-Bathurst Power Play: 49-for-206 (23.8%), 8th

Rimouski Power Play: 58-for-214 (27.1%), 3rd

Lewiston Penalty Kill: 196-for-240 (81.7%), 5th

Acadie-Bathurst Penalty Kill: 176-for-213 (82.6%), 3rd

Rimouski Penalty Kill: 174-for-222 (78.4%), 10th

Season Series

Lewiston 1, Acadie-Bathurst 1

Lewiston 2, Rimouski 1

All-Time Series

Lewiston 19, Acadie-Bathurst 19

Lewiston 17, Rimouski 15, 1 tie

All-Time Series on the Road

Acadie-Bathurst 13, Lewiston 5

Lewiston 9, Rimouski 7

This Weekend in the Telus East Division

The Quebec Remparts have won three straight games and eight of their last ten, as they enter a weekend with what should be two very entertaining contests. On Friday, the Remparts travel to Rimouski to face the division rival Oceanic. Then, on Sunday, two of the best teams in the league collide, as the Saint John Sea Dogs visit Colisee Pepsi. However, fatigue could play a factor, as the Sea Dogs will be playing their third road games in as many days, after facing Baie-Comeau and Chicoutimi.

The Victoriaville Tigres will invade the province of Nova Scotia for a pair of games this weekend. On Friday night, the Tigres trip begins in Halifax against the Mooseheads, who have lost five straight games. After having Saturday off, Victoriaville's trip concludes on Sunday in Sydney against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

Prior to their showdown with the MAINEiacs on Sunday, the Rimouski Oceanic will be put the test with another divisional battle on Friday. Rimouski's first opponent for the weekend will be the Quebec Remparts.

The Chicoutimi Sagueneens will be on home ice for both of their games this weekend, but they will be faced with two teams who are playing strong hockey as of late. On Friday, the Sagueneens will play host to the Shawinigan Cataractes, who have won seven of their last ten games. Then, on Saturday, the league-leading Saint John Sea Dogs will invade Centre Georges Vezina.

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar might want to exchange notes with the Sagueneens, as they will have the reverse schedule of their division rivals. Baie-Comeau will likely get the strongest effort from Saint John, as Friday night will be the beginning of the Sea Dogs' three-game road trip. After that, the Drakkar will get a visit from the Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday.

Elsewhere in the QMJHL

The Montreal Junior currently own a five-point lead over Drummondville and a six-point lead over Gatineau at the top of the Telus West Division. On Sunday, one of those leads will be put to the test, as the Olympiques will make the trip to Verdun. Gatineau has won three of the four meetings between the two squads this season, including a 5-3 road victory on January 9th. Prior to their head-to-head meeting, the Junior will host Rouyn-Noranda on Friday, and the Olympiques will host Val-d'Or on Saturday.

The third horse in the Telus West Division race is Drummondville. The Voltigeurs have a great opportunity to gain points this weekend, when they play host to two struggling divisional opponents. The Val-d'Or Foreurs make an appearance on Friday, having won just once in their last 14 games. Then, on Saturday, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will try their luck at Centre Marcel Dionne.

The PEI Rocket will be one of the busier teams in the Maritimes Division this weekend, as they will play three games in four days. The week starts early on the island, as the Rocket will host Acadie-Bathurst on Thursday. After a quick trip to Halifax on Saturday, PEI will return home to battle Moncton on Sunday.

One other game takes place in the league this weekend, as the Moncton Wildcats will welcome the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles to town on Friday.



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2011


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