Sports stats



Road Report

January 15, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


Hello everyone from my luxurious hotel room in Drummondville, Quebec. Yes, you are reading that correctly, and yes, the Voltigeurs are nowhere in sight this weekend. The reason that we stayed in Drummondville for one night is because there are a lot of youth tournaments going on in Victoriaville this weekend, and there aren't a lot of hotels there to begin with.

With that being said, I am definitely not complaining. Because of the accommodations that had to be made, I believe just about everyone on the trip got a single hotel room, including me. I would go as far as to say that I have a miniature suite that includes such amenities as: a gigantic bed, a pretty good sized fridge, a desk, two chairs with a table, a flat screen television, and a separate bathroom area that features a tub with water jets.

Where is my room located, you ask Well, I am also lucky enough to have one of the eight rooms in the hotel that overlooks the indoor pool. I can't remember off of the top of my head who has the room to my left, but I do know that the other two rooms on this floor with a pool view belong to Darren Rumble and Nicholas Champion. While my room is definitely sick, Champion got the best deal by far. His room looks like something straight out of Las Vegas. If you don't believe me, I believe Cameron Critchlow has some pictures posted on his Facebook account. From what I can remember, there are a couple of extra seats, along with a bathroom area that is out of this world, featuring a personal shower area, two tubs, and a makeup area. In my opinion, the MAINEiacs already have one of the best goaltenders in the QMJHL in Champion, and after this stay, we'll probably have the best looking goaltender as well!

As far as I'm concerned, this hotel was just the icing on the cake for what was already going to be a great trip. Prior to this great news, I was excited to begin with, as both games against the Tigres will begin at 4:00. For me, that is awesome. The first reason is because there is no morning skate, meaning that I get to sleep in (not a morning person at all, and I love my sleep). In fact, I'm actually writing this before I go to bed on Friday night, that way I can snag some extra down time on Saturday morning. With that scenario, brunch typically takes place at 11:00 (as opposed to the normal breakfast time of 9:00), and before you know it, it's time to leave for the game. That is also a plus, as there is less time to kill during the day. However, that's not all. On Saturday, a 4:00 game means that we'll be able to catch most of Hockey Night in Canada's doubleheader. Then, on Sunday, a 4:00 game means that we will arrive back home in Lewiston three hours earlier than we normally would. A 3:30 arrival suddenly becomes 12:30, which is a victory in itself.

One of the themes to this trip is birthdays, as four people will be celebrating with us this weekend. Okay, so maybe the rest of the team will do the celebrating for them. JF Houle was the first one to get some birthday treatment, as Dillon Fournier, Christophe Lalonde, Andrey Makarov, and Alex Zafiris sang a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" on the bus microphone. When the first verse of the song finished, Zafiris started the part with "How old are you now," which we ultimately found out, but I'm going to be nice to JF and say that he doesn't look a day over 29, as being a diehard Boston Bruins' fan already puts one strike against me!

The next birthday treatment went to Christophe Lalonde, who turned 17 on Wednesday. Being a rookie, you had to figure that there would be some fun for Lalonde, and there was, as we dined at Boston Pizza (there will be a separate story on Boston Pizza in a future report, as that deserves one all to itself). Luckily for us, Lionel, the Boston Pizza mascot (which looks like a Smurf according to Darren Rumble) was in the house. So, one of the team's best pranksters (who will remain nameless) got Lionel to sneak up on Lalonde, tapping him on one shoulder, before switching to the other side. When Christophe turned around, he was a tad jumpy, as most people would be if they turned around to see a big blue thing standing next to them.

Lalonde wasn't completely out of the woods yet, as every birthday needs a cake. His came with one of those sparkling candles on top, leading the team into a big round of applause. The applause was so loud that the entire restaurant got into it, including a youngster, who was smiling while getting clapping lessons from his mother. At that point, Christophe stood up and gave a wave, thanking everyone for the birthday wishes. While that was happening, one of the players (couldn't see who) snuck some pepper into the equation, giving him a first bite that must have been rather gross.

On Sunday, Antoine Houde-Caron turns 21 and Matt Bissonnette turns 19, so we'll have to wait and see what is in store for those two. Later this month, Darren Rumble, Bryce Milson, and Sam Finn will also have birthdays in what looks like one of the busiest birthday months on the team.

I've heard we will have some people making the trip up from Lewiston, which is always a great site to see. If you're coming up, I'll see you at the arena. If not, enjoy the broadcasts, and hopefully we'll be coming home with 31 wins and a playoff spot (magic number is 6)!



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 15, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Lewiston MAINEiacs Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central