On the road again: Maineiacs face three games in four nights

LEWISTON — Crisis of confidence? Lack of motivation? Lowered expectations?

Not quite, Lewiston Maineiacs' coach Don MacAdam said Tuesday, but elements of each have started to creep into the team's locker room, and the staff is working on nipping those feelings — and their symptoms — in the bud.

"The one thing we want our players to do, and we did it (Tuesday) morning before practice, we wanted them to talk about their individual purpose," MacAdam said.

The staff had the players log on to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Web site and research their own statistics on the season.

"I wanted them to assess how they'd been doing," MacAdam said. "It breaks down by month, by home and away, last ten, the whole deal. It's a very telling page. And the guys had really good, honest, frank comments about their own performance, what they wanted to accomplish before Christmas."

Some of those goals, MacAdam said, were too conservative.

"We started the season, we want to be a no-excuses group, and I think over the last little while, we've allowed excuses to creep into our game," MacAdam said.

And, he said, the problem is starting at the top.

"I think (former Lewiston coach) Clem (Jodoin) said it best the other night, at 19, you have to be a dominant player in junior hockey," MacAdam said. "Our best players, on many nights, haven't been our best players. We need that to change.

"The middle of the team hasn't continued to improve, either," MacAdam added. "The first 10 games, you could see steady improvement. The last 10, it's been kind of a stall pattern, whereas our youngest kids, our 16s, they continue to plug away, work hard and they're getting the points, they're getting the goals. It's that middle group that's kind of stalled."

There's no room for stalling between now and Christmas, either. Beginning Wednesday, the Maineiacs will play 15 games before the holiday break, with just five of those coming at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

And the team's opponents? Only one of the teams Lewiston will face in that stretch has a losing record to date, and only two have fewer wins than the Maineiacs. The team will face seven of the top eight teams in the league to date a combined 12 times, including two each against Saint John (No. 1) and Drummondville (No. 2).

"You have to challenge yourself to get better, and we have some actual challenges on our schedule coming up," MacAdam said.

The Maineiacs kick off their road trip in Victoriaville on Wednesday. After a sluggish start, the Tigres have rocketed up the standings into fourth overall at 15-7-0-1, including wins in each of their last five contests.

"We had a really tough time getting off the bus in that last game (against Victoriaville), and we've since addressed that with a few schedule changes," MacAdam said. "With their top line, our top line has to be as good as their top line. In that game, their top line completely dominated the game. That has to change."

After a day off Thursday, Lewiston visits Drummondville, which sits second in the league and atop the Telus Central division, followed by a date with Chicoutimi on Saturday. The Sags have suffered a pair of losses to Lewiston this season, a 2-1 setback on opening night in Chicoutimi and a 7-1 loss to the Maineiacs at the Colisee.

Wednesday's game begins at 7 p.m., Friday's is a 7:30 start and Saturday's trip to the Saguenay region features a 4 p.m. matinee game against the Sags.