Unforgettable Trip to Lewiston Proves to be Highlight of 2010-11 Season

March 16, 2011 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Lewiston MAINEiacs News Release


By: Jeremy Fraser - Even Strength Hockey

Out of all of the places in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that I have been in my three years of working with Even Strength Online Hockey Scouting and News Website as a QMJHL news reporter/scout, my trip to Lewiston, Maine was for sure my best one yet!

I started my trip to Lewiston in the early morning hours of Thursday, March 10th. We left our little town called New Waterford (which is just outside of Sydney, Nova Scotia) at 2:00am, and started the 13-hour trip to Maine. After a few stops in Port Hawksbury, NS and Moncton, NB, we landed in Maine at around 4:30pm. On Thursday night, we stayed in Bangor to get some rest, before makng the three-hour trip from Bangor to Lewiston. On Friday morning, we woke up at 9:00am, went for a drive around Bangor to see what the city had to offer, before grabbing some food at McDonald's for the final leg of the trip down to Lewiston.

When we first got to Lewiston, we had some problems finding the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, so we pulled over to a little gas station and asked a gentleman who was pumping gas into his car how to get to the arena. The gentleman told us that all we had to do was go up a road with four stop signs, and once we reached the fourth stop sign, turn left. We did as we were told, and sure enough, we found the rink.

When pulling into the parking lot, I decided that I wanted to go into the rink to check the place out before attending the game that night. I asked a lady working at the box office to make sure it was okay to go for a walk around the rink, and she said it was. The reason I asked was because a few months before, I was at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City on a game day, where I walked around for a few minutes, before a gentleman told me that I was not allowed up around the rink during the afternoon when nobody is around.

Once I got to the ice surface, I started walking around in the stands, just trying to get a good glance of what the rink had to offer. After looking around at the rink, I think that there could definitely be some upgrades to make it better. There's just something about the Androscoggin Bank Colisee that isn't the same when compared to other rinks in the QMJHL, but nonetheless, the older style of a rink has a uniqueness to it.

After that, I decided to leave and walk around the city of Lewiston. Every person that saw me on the sidewalk said hello, which kind of reminded me of my home town in New Waterford, where everyone knows everyone. While looking around, I saw some pretty old buildings, which were similar to buildings I saw in Quebec City. Some weren't quite as big and great looking, but to me, that shows a little bit of the city's history, which is always good.

I arrived at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee at 6:15pm that night, and while standing around, I noticed President and Governor Bill Schurman greeting all of the fans, as they entered the building. That is a great thing to do, and I think the fans really appreciate seeing their President out talking to the community. That was certainly a high point for me to see while there.

Once my good friend Gail Tarr arrived, I got her to show me around a little more, as my trip in the afternoon only gave me a quick glance at the building. Gail showed me practically everything you could ask to see, and I thank her for that. Once Gail was done showing me around, I made my way to the press box and looked out to see a terrific view of the ice. While looking around, I noticed DJ Abisalih come in (who I think is the best play-by-play man in the league right now).

DJ asked me if I would like to come onto the radio broadcast during the first intermission, just like I had done back on November 30th in Cape Breton. To be on the air with such a great play-by-play man and a great person in general made the invite impossible to turn down.

Once the second period got underway, Gail told me that the team wanted me to go out onto the ice during the second intermission in a car, which could have been won by a lucky fan. At first, I said no, but after thinking about it, I ended up doing it. The gentleman driving the car was really nice, and I thank him for the opportunity.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Gail Tarr for all of her work in hooking me up with the tickets, as well as DJ Abisalih, who did so much for me over the year. Thank you, guys - I couldn't have asked for more! I would also like to thank all of the Lewiston MAINEiacs fans, who treated me so well while I was in Lewiston over the weekend. It's hard for me to go places where people only see me as a young 17-year old, rather than seeing me as the person I am, working for an online hockey news and scouting website. Aside from Cape Breton, Lewiston was the only place that saw me for who I really am, and not for my age. I think that's great, and I would like to thank you for that as well. Other than some upgrades that could be made to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, and also getting lost a few times, I think Lewiston is nothing but the best, from the people, to the hospitality, to the food. I could not ask for any better. Deep down, I am a Cape Breton Screaming Eagles fan at heart, but there will also be a place in my heart for the Lewiston MAINEiacs, and I mean every bit of that!

Jeremy writes for Even Strength Hockey, which is a website that covers the QMJHL and NHL. In order to follow Jeremy and his work, you can visit the website at http://www.evenstrength.com, follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EvenStrengthQ, or become a fan of Even Strength on Facebook. Even Strength also sends out a newsletter each Friday, which you can sign up for by e-mailing evenstrengthqmjhl@hotmail.com.

Earlier this week, Jeremy posted an article on the website, entitled "Lewiston is a Great Supporting Hockey Community in my Mind," so be sure to check that out.

THE RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS

(Standings updated each morning)

1 Saint John Sea Dogs 56-6-1-2, 115 PTS, 3 GR

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

2 Montreal Junior 44-11-5-5, 98 PTS, 3 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, 3 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 31-25-3-6, 71 PTS, 3 GR

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

10 Moncton Wildcats 32-23-3-7, 74 PTS, 3 GR

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

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



Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from March 16, 2011


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