George Christie of New Vineyard wasn’t looking for fame last spring when he submitted a suggestion to the Lewiston hockey franchise’s “Name the Team” contest. He just had a good idea.

The name he selected, the Maineiacs, was chosen last spring after team officials sorted through over 1,200 entries received between mid February through March of this year.

“The name Maineiacs was selected for its ability to provide a regional identity, a unique and creative logo and its marketability”, said Matt McKnight the team’s vice president and governor.

In a pre-game, on-ice ceremony at Friday’s game against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, Christie was presented with an autographed hockey stick, two team jerseys and a plaque to commemorate the event.

Powerless play

There isn’t much power in the Maineiacs’ power play lately. In six games, Lewiston is a combined 5-for-47 with an extra attacker. They have allowed nearly as many goals against (3) in the same time frame.

“That is something we have been working on in practice a lot,” said coach Mario Durocher. “We still have some work to do, I guess.”

On Sunday against Quebec, the Maineiacs had 11 attempts on the power play and didn’t convert once. Three times they had a two-man advantage, and several shots found their way to the crease, but no one was there to sweep them home.

On the Web

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of most talked about leagues in North America among serious hockey fans, scouts and professional teams. One of the more popular sites to discuss the teams, the Maineiacs included, is HockeyZonePlus.com. Readers can view comments and participate in discussions with fans.

Scouts, coaches and of course the players also frequent the site. Posting is done in both French and English, and it is one of the more active sites, especially near the trading deadline in December.

QMJHL update

There remains just one unbeaten team to start the QMJHL season, the Gatineau Olympiques. The Olympiques have played nine games and won eight and tied one and are led by Jean-Michel Daoust, who leads the league with 21 points and 15 assists, two coming on Sunday in a 4-2 win over Drummondville.

Among the lower tier, Lewiston remains tied with Halifax for the fewest points in the league with three. Halifax won for the first time Saturday night, 4-2 over Chicoutimi.

Aside from Daoust, the most exciting player to watch this season has been Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Océanic. Crosby has been touted by Wayne Gretzky as a player with a chance to break the Great One’s records. In his first game of the season two weeks ago, Crosby netted a hat trick. He is currently second in the league behind Daoust with 18 points, and leads the league in goals with 10. On Sunday, he had two goals and an assist in a 6-3 win for Rimouski, and on Monday was named the offensive Player of the week for the second consecutive week.

In the Maineiacs’ division, which includes Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Rimouski and Chicoutimi, Baie-Comeau and Rimouski continue to fight it out at the top. With Rimouski’s win and Baie-Comeau’s loss, the Océanic move one point ahead of the Drakkar for the division lead. Quebec, with Sunday’s tie, move into third, while Chicoutimi remains two points up on Lewiston for fourth.