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Road Report from Baie-Comeau

March 18, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


Greetings from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Great White North, or as most of you know it as, Baie-Comeau.

While I was in Maine earlier this week, I began to notice signs of spring. The snow was beginning to melt at a relatively rapid rate, and the temperature was becoming more consistent at around 40 degrees. As much as I love winter time because of the hockey, I think most of you are in agreement with me when I say that I am ready to be done with the snow and frigid temperatures. However, let's make sure that the hockey keeps on going!

With that being said, I must say that I don't know how the friendly folks up here in Baie-Comeau do it. As we traveled up through Quebec yesterday, there was more and more snow on the ground everywhere we went. When we finally arrived in Baie-Comeau, the amount of snow still on the ground made it look like the end of January in Maine, making me seriously wonder if they have spent even a few days in a row with temperatures above 32 degrees since November. And of course, when we woke up this morning, take a guess what we were greeted by. That's right - more snow!

As for the trip itself, as most people will tell you, Lewiston and Baie-Comeau aren't exactly next door neighbors. We left the Androscoggin Bank Colisee at 7:00 yesterday morning, and after a stop for lunch in Quebec City, we arrived at Centre Henry Leonard at around 7:00 at night. Although you know it's going to be a long ride, it's truly amazing just how long it actually takes. There are times when you think to yourself, "We have to be getting close, right - So, you look ahead to the GPS at the front of the bus, and there are still two or three hours left to go.

There are two highlights to mention from the ride up. The first is the lunch stop - La Maison de Jade in Quebec City, which is a large buffet. For me personally, I would rate it as the second best buffet place we went to this season, as nothing will ever top Buffet Continent in Gatineau. There aren't enough adjectives in the world for me to be able to describe the food, atmosphere, and size of Buffet Continent.

Getting back to La Maison de Jade, there was a great moment there from an earlier trip there this season (oddly enough, we were also going to Baie-Comeau then as well). Most of us English speakers will always try to make some sort of an effort to speak at least a few words in French to the wait staff, showing them the respect that we are at least trying to speak their native language in their hometown. Earlier this year, Darren Rumble wanted two slices of smoked meat, which was cut and served by one of the restaurant employees. So, Darren said that he would like "deux slices of smoked meat." As some of you know, "slices" is not a French term, and for that, I will never forget the blank look on the server's face when he said it. Apparently, Rumble's Franglish had another brilliant moment last night, as he told me at dinner that he told one of our waitresses, "Je ne parler anglais," which aside from a missing "pas" and the need to take off the "r" in parler, means "I don't speak English." He told me that the waitress laughed at him, and that he quickly realized why.

The second highlight from any trip to Baie-Comeau from Lewiston is the ferry that sends us across Baie-Ste. Catherine. The ferry ride only lasts for approximately 10-15 minutes, but it's a good way to break up the trip, it changes things up, and it gives everyone a chance to get up and stretch their legs outside. For those unfamiliar with how a ferry works, the bus (along with a bunch of other automobiles) pulls right onto a long pad on top of the ferry, and once all of the automobiles are loaded on, the ferry takes off. Even though this ferry ride was significantly colder than the one that we took in October, I think I enjoyed this one more, as I had more time to look around, and the floating ice chunks made the water more interesting to look at. As you can see from Matt Flaherty's photo, Brian Morrison was clearly focused during his journey across the water.

As for the arena, Centre Henry Leonard has an interesting shape. The bench side is the tallest of the four, rising up approximately 15 rows to the press box, where I will be tonight. The penalty box side only goes up seven rows, and has a walkway that goes behind it. The end that the MAINEiacs defend twice has seven rows as well, but six of the rows are elevated, and behind that, the Drakkar have headshots of every player that has served as their captain in franchise history. The other end has changed since the last time I was here. The left side of it still has three rows of seating, but the right side now has elevated luxury suites with 36 leather padded chairs, as well as 16 bar stools. This is a relatively old building, but at least Baie-Comeau is making an effort to add some more modern amenities.

Speaking of modern amenities, our hotel (Le Manoir) made an enormous change since the last time we were here, adding card keys for the hotel rooms. Some of you might be thinking, "Yeah, most hotels have card keys. What's the big deal - Well, earlier this season, Le Manoir had old fashioned metal keys that you had to return upon leaving. Le Manoir is also an older establishment that actually looks like a castle, which is pretty cool. One of the other things that I like about this particular hotel is that we eat all of our meals in house, and the food is some very tasty home style cooking. For example, last night's meal was Shepherd's Pie. The food was delicious, the rooms are warm, and March Madness was even on TV (I went 12-4 on my bracket yesterday). So, despite an 11-hour ride and lots of snow, I must say that I am a happy camper at the moment.

One thing that will make me even happier will be a MAINEiacs' win tonight against the Drakkar. Thanks to the magic of the team's Facebook page, I have learned that Nicholas Champion and Sam Henley will both have family members in attendance, while Jonathan Parisien's former billet family will also be in the building. In talking with him yesterday, Jonathan has been looking forward to tonight's game for quite some time.

Don't forget that you can catch both of this weekend's games at Gippers at the Road Warrior parties, which always presents a great time. Tonight, on the broadcast, I will have a special treat for you, thanks to one of my good friends in the industry. A couple of weeks ago, Providence Bruins radio broadcaster Adam Kaufman conducted an interview with former MAINEiac Stefan Chaput, and was nice enough to send it my way. You will hear that interview during tonight's first intermission. Enjoy the broadcast, and who knows, by the end of the night, we might know who Lewiston will face in the first round of the playoffs!

Late Addition: I had to wait to get back to the hotel to post this, so in the mean time, the staff requested that I make mention of their 5-4 win in 3-on-3 hockey today. Jean-Francois Houle scored the winning goal, leading himself, Darren Rumble, and Tim Schurman past Sam Finn, Antoine Houde-Caron, and Christophe Lalonde. The extra time to post also allowed for a bit of a humiliating moment, as just about every player or staff member slid on a patch of ice just outside of the arena. However, only one person bit the dust (or snow in this case) - Darren Rumble.

THE RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS

(Standings updated each morning)

1 Saint John Sea Dogs 56-6-1-2, 115 PTS, 2 GR

16 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 17-44-1-4, 39 PTS, 2 GR

2 Montreal Junior 45-11-5-5, 100 PTS, 2 GR

15 Halifax Mooseheads 20-41-1-3, 44 PTS, 3 GR

3 Quebec Remparts 46-16-1-3, 96 PTS, 2 GR

14 Val-d'Or Foreurs 25-33-4-4, 58 PTS, 2 GR

4 Drummondville Voltigeurs 44-15-5-2, 95 PTS, 2 GR

13 Rimouski Oceanic 30-31-1-3, 64 PTS, 2 GR

5 Gatineau Olympiques 41-17-3-5, 90 PTS, 2 GR

12 Chicoutimi Sagueneens 27-27-5-7, 66 PTS, 2 GR

6 Acadie-Bathurst Titan 42-21-2-1, 87 PTS, 2 GR

11 PEI Rocket 32-25-3-6, 73 PTS, 2 GR

7 Shawinigan Cataractes 40-23-2-1, 83 PTS, 2 GR

10 Victoriaville Tigres 35-27-1-3, 74 PTS, 2 GR

8 LEWISTON MAINEIACS 38-23-1-3, 80 PTS, 2 GR

9 Moncton Wildcats 33-23-3-7, 76 PTS, 2 GR



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2011


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