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Renewing a Rivalry

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


For the next few weeks, the Lewiston MAINEiacs and Saint John Sea Dogs will take the ice, renewing what used to be an intense rivalry between the two clubs.

In the six seasons since the Sea Dogs became a franchise in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Lewiston and Saint John have met up 30 times in the regular season. The MAINEiacs have come out on top in 17 of those 30 contests, including 11 of the 15 that have been played at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. The Sea Dogs haven't been as dominant at Harbour Station, but they do have the lead, winning nine of their 15 home tilts against Lewiston.

The rivalry began back on September 30, 2005 at Harbour Station. The MAINEiacs were playing in their fourth game of a six-game road trip, while the Sea Dogs were playing in their fourth home game ever. Thanks to three goals in the second period, as well as 37 saves by Jason Churchill, the first ever meeting went to Saint John, as the home team skated to a 5-2 victory in front of 4,346 fans. Lewiston's Mathieu Aubin scored the first goal in the all-time series, while Martin Bartos scored the Sea Dogs' first goal a little more than six minutes later.

The second meeting between the two teams also took place at Harbour Station, and this time, it was the visiting team that got the upper hand. Jonathan Bernier made 22 saves, recording the first ever shutout in a game between the MAINEiacs and Sea Dogs. On the other side, Jason Churchill was stupendous as well, stopping 36 of the 37 shots he faced. The lone goal came with 13:08 remaining, when Lewiston's Pier-Luc Champagne lit the lamp.

After another game in Saint John (3-2 win for the Sea Dogs), the teams finally made their way to Lewiston on December 30th. This contest was controlled by the MAINEiacs, who scored four goals on 22 shots in the second period, knocking off the Sea Dogs, 6-3, in front of 3,139 fans at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Stefano Giliati had four points for victorious Lewiston.

During the first season of the rivalry, the MAINEiacs won five of the eight games, including a home-and-home sweep to conclude the campaign. In the season finale, Mathieu Aubin picked up one of ten five-point games in franchise history, with two goals and three assists at Harbour Station.

In 2006-07, the rivalry picked up more of a physical edge, as Lewiston was on their way to a President's Cup, while Saint John was still trying to find an identity. The MAINEiacs won seven of the eight battles between the clubs, including a pair of fight-filled finishes at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on November 25th and January 31st. In the January 31st contest, a total of 107 penalty minutes were handed out, including 75 in the third period alone.

One year later, the play on the ice evened itself out, as the two sides split their eight games, with each team winning four times. The most memorable game of the four for Lewiston was the first one, which took place on September 13th, as the team raised the 2007 President's Cup banner to the rafters at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. After falling behind 1-0 in the first period, the MAINEiacs tied the score in the second, then scored three times in the third period, picking up their 11th regular season win in a row, dating back to the 2006-07 campaign.

Ten days later, the Sea Dogs evened the season series, as current defenseman Simon Despres netted his first career QMJHL goal in a 6-1 victory for Saint John at Harbour Station. Both teams ended up going 3-1 on home ice during the 2007-08 season, with both road wins taking place in October. Saint John earned a 3-1 win in Lewiston on October 24th, and six days later, the two teams took part in a 12-round shootout, which was eventually won by the MAINEiacs on a goal by Marc Bourgeois.

Following the 2007-08 campaign, fans in the two cities were devastated, as they found out that they would no longer be divisional foes. The Sea Dogs remained in the Atlantic Division, while the MAINEiacs picked up shop, and joined Drummondville, Shawinigan, and Victoriaville in the Telus East Division. After that, the regular season rivalry was never the same, as the total meetings dropped from eight per season, all the way down to two.

Saint John capitalized on the new format, winning all four games between they and the MAINEiacs during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, outscoring Lewiston 21-10 in the process.

This past season, the two teams met up twice once again, and this time, the two sides split their two games. On December 3rd, the Sea Dogs picked up the first win, taking a 6-2 decision at Harbour Station, using six different goal scorers, as well as 28 saves from current Halifax Moosehead Frederic Piche to get the job done. Exactly one week later, the scene shifted to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, where the MAINEiacs received goals from five different scorers in a 5-2 win over Saint John. Nicholas Champion had one of the best performances in his career during the December 10th contest, as he made 44 saves on 46 shots.

Now that the past has been reminisced about, it's time to look ahead to the future, as a best-of-seven series between the MAINEiacs and Sea Dogs will determine which team will have a chance to play for the 2011 President's Cup, and a possible trip to Mississauga, Ontario. All of the action starts in two days!



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from April 20, 2011


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