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Road Report from Chicoutimi

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


Greetings from Chicoutimi, where according to our hotel, "Les Maniacs de Lewinston" are set to play their final game of the 2010-11 regular season at 4:00 against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Although today's game will definitely be a good one between two divisional rivals, all eyes will be focused on three other cities - Moncton, Saint John, and Victoriaville, as the MAINEiacs wait to see who they will face in the first round of the playoffs. Assuming all three games are decided in regulation (which you just know they won't be, because that would be way to easy), the scenario is simple. If all three teams end up with the same result, or if Moncton wins, it will be Moncton. If PEI wins and Moncton loses, it will be PEI. If Moncton and PEI both lose and Victoriaville wins, it will be Victoriaville. As I said, that is assuming three final scores in regulation. The good news is that we should know the answer by the end of the broadcast, as Moncton and PEI both play at three, while Victoriaville gets going at four.

As for who I would like, I have been torn between Moncton and Victoriaville, and my reasoning has absolutely no connection to how the sides match up. Moncton would be the ideal opponent from a public relations standpoint, as there would be quite a few storylines, and I think it would be a fun series for the fans. In that series, you would have Kirill Kabanov and Matt Bissonnette playing against their former team, while Bill Schurman would also get to visit the arena that he used to call home. My reasons for Victoriaville are more personal. First, I made my play-by-play debut at Colisee Desjardins last season, and second, I would also get to have my good friend John Myszak (lives in Montreal) as my statistician for the road games in that series. Now, with that being said, either way, I can't wait to start the playoffs, especially with the first two games taking place at home next weekend!

However, there is business to take care of first, and that is this afternoon's game in Chicoutimi. Although the MAINEiacs may not be playing for their own positioning, a win today would give them 40 on the season, which would be a great number to hit. A win would also give Lewiston 84 points, which would put them one point ahead of the 2005-06 club for the second highest total in franchise history.

The MAINEiacs are coming off of a big 7-0 win in Baie-Comeau on Friday, giving them seven points in their last four games away from home. That is a great sign headed toward the playoffs, where teams need to be able to win both at home and on the road in order to have success. Etienne Brodeur's three-point game and Nicholas Champion's shutout obviously stick out on the scoresheet, but I was also pleased to see Bryce Milson light the lamp (the 17th different MAINEiac to score a game winning goal this season), while Dillon Fournier, Zach Shannon, and Alex Zafiris each chipped in with an assist. Dillon had the best plus/minus during Friday night's game, checking in with a plus-5.

Following Friday's win, we were treated to another wonderful meal at Le Manoir. After spaghetti for lunch, hamburger steak was on the menu for dinner, along with soup and salad as appetizers. I mentioned how good the food was at Le Manoir was the other day, and I want to add one more thought - that place knows how to cook a soup. The three soups we had at the different meals were beef barley, vegetable, and carrot, and all three were absolutely breathtaking. In fact, the soups had the entire staff table buzzing, including JF Houle, who made sure to head up for seconds. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me that the soup was so good in Baie-Comeau, as soup is perfect for a cold day, and Baie-Comeau has plenty of those. Just like with anything, the more you do it (cooking it in this instance), the better you are going to get.

Yesterday, the team practiced in Baie-Comeau, before loading the bus with Chicken Alfredo and making the journey over to Chicoutimi. We watched a couple of movies on the ride, as "She's out of my League" and "The Departed" made their way onto the DVD player. I enjoyed "She's out of my League," as it was a funny movie, it had a plot that was easy to follow, and let's face it, Alice Eve (plays Molly in the movie) isn't the worst person in the world to look at. I didn't watch much of "The Departed," as comedies are more of my thing, but I did enjoy the fact that "Shipping up to Boston" was played at the start of the movie.

Speaking of Boston, I do have to give major props to my good friend Brian Dumoulin (from Biddeford, ME) on his second straight Hockey East Championship with the Boston College Eagles. As most of you know, I am a huge BC fan to begin with, and seeing Brian have success there makes it that much sweeter to watch. For those of you wondering how I became an Eagles fan, I am from Massachusetts originally, I needed a team to root for, I started meeting random professional players that went to BC, and I was hooked. I have been an Eagles fan since the mid-90's, and I refuse to stray from the Maroon & Gold.

However, there are only two colors that matter today - blue and orange! The MAINEiacs and Sagueneens will drop the puck at 4:00, with the pregame show getting underway at 3:40. Don't forget that today's game will also be shown at Gippers, which is always a great time. I apologize for the technical issues in Baie-Comeau - hopefully here, there will be a Telus plug that doesn't look like it was made before I was born!

THE RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS

(Standings updated each morning)

1 Saint John Sea Dogs 57-6-1-2, 117 PTS, 1 GR

16 Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 17-45-1-4, 39 PTS, 1 GR

2 Montreal Junior 46-11-5-5, 102 PTS, 1 GR

15 Halifax Mooseheads 20-42-2-3, 45 PTS, 1 GR

3 Quebec Remparts 47-16-1-3, 98 PTS, 1 GR

14 Val-d'Or Foreurs 25-34-4-4, 58 PTS, 1 GR

4 Drummondville Voltigeurs 44-15-5-3, 96 PTS, 1 GR

13 Rimouski Oceanic 30-33-1-3, 64 PTS, 1 GR

5 Gatineau Olympiques 42-17-3-5, 92 PTS, 1 GR

12 Chicoutimi Sagueneens 27-28-5-7, 66 PTS, 1 GR

6 Acadie-Bathurst Titan 43-21-2-1, 89 PTS, 1 GR

11 Victoriaville Tigres 35-28-1-3, 74 PTS, 1 GR

7 Shawinigan Cataractes 41-23-2-1, 85 PTS, 1 GR

10 PEI Rocket 33-25-3-6, 75 PTS, 1 GR

8 LEWISTON MAINEIACS 39-23-1-3, 82 PTS, 1 GR

9 Moncton Wildcats 33-24-3-7, 76 PTS, 1 GR

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2011


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