Road Report from Cape Breton

November 30, 2010 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


by MAINEiacs Radio Voice DJ Abisalih

Good morning from Sydney, Nova Scotia - home of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. After two days of travelling and fun, the MAINEiacs are definitely ready for game action. Tonight, Lewiston begins a three-game road trip with a tilt against the Screaming Eagles, before visiting the Moncton Wildcats on Thursday, and eventually the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday. This is an interesting stretch of games for the MAINEiacs, as they will play five games in the next eight days, while also facing some different opponents in Cape Breton, Saint John and Montreal.

If the last two practices are any indication of what is to come, the MAINEiacs could be in great shape, as the two coaches were very pleased with what they saw. Due to the fact that there will be a lot of games in a short period of time, the players did a lot of skating on Sunday and Monday, as stamina will certainly be one of the keys to the team's success during this stretch of games.

The nice thing about this trip is the fact that we were able to split it in half, driving to Amherst, Nova Scotia on Sunday, before finishing the journey to Sydney yesterday. On Sunday, we finished season three of "The O.C.," and just like Sam Henley predicted during Friday's postgame show, Marissa died. With that being said, I was very surprised with how she died. After that, season four got inserted into the DVD player, and I never thought I'd say this, but I am totally hooked. Sunday concluded with a postgame meal at Pizza Delight, which is definitely near the top of the list in terms of places we have eaten. The pizza and pasta were terrific, especially a cherry pie pizza that we enjoyed for dessert. Darren Rumble will second my opinion on the cherry pie pizza.

Monday started with a practice, before the team hopped over to Spring Street Academy for a visit with the students. That was my first ever school visit to the team, so I wasn't sure what I was in for. It turned out to be an awesome experience, as the MAINEiacs played floor hockey against six sets of students, who were all wearing jerseys. It was played on the gym floor with a squishy ball, and the game ended in a 4-4 tie. Everyone got into it, and there were smiles all around.

One of those smiles belonged to Nathan Kelly, who has joined Lewiston for the week. Kelly is a goaltender who attended training camp as an invitee. Currently, Nathan's father is suffering from cancer, so the MAINEiacs thought this would be a nice opportunity for him, as well as his family. Just watching him the last two days, you can tell that he is trying to take in as much as he can from the experience.

Cape Breton did not have a morning skate today, but they did have three players take a twirl. Defenseman Raman Hrabarenka had his hand wrapped up, and defenseman Spencer Metcalfe skated as well. Goaltender Andrew Hayes took a few shots, so he may be the starting goaltender, but we'll see later on tonight. I have been told that Viktor Hertzberg and Taylor MacDougall are both nursing injuries, and will both likely be out of the lineup.

I'll have more on the arena tonight during the broadcast, as I haven't had my chance to truly roam the place yet. I can tell you that there are three banners hanging from the rafters - Marc Andre Fleury's #29, a divisional championship banner from 2003-04, and a Cape Breton Oilers Calder Cup Championship banner from 1993. I saw the Oilers play once back in the day, so that was a pretty cool sight to see.

Jeremy Fraser from Even Strength Hockey will join me tonight on the broadcast, and word has it we might run into old friend Jordan Kennedy as well. The broadcast kicks off with the pregame show at 5:40, before face-off takes place at 6:00 (Lewiston time). This whole time change thing takes some adjustment!



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from November 30, 2010


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