LEWISTON – Two down, two to go.

Of the four hockey players leaving for tournament competition this holiday season, two are officially gone.

Vladislav Balaz and Richard Stehlik leave Tuesday morning to join the Slovakian national junior team for a brief training camp before the team heads to Helsinki, Finland.

Taking Balaz’s place on the front line, as of this past weekend, was Marc-Andre Cliche, the Maineiacs’ first-round draft pick last summer who has started to adjust well to playing in the QMJHL.

“I think it took a bit of time, but as the year’s gone on, all of the coaches have noticed how well he’s started to pick up his game,” said Harding. “He’s earned the chance.”

Meanwhile, head coach Mario Durocher continues to make cuts to the Canadian National Junior Team in Kitchener, Ontario.

Canada trimmed its roster to 28 players Monday by releasing two players, Adam Henrich of Brampton (OHL) and Jeremy Swanson of Barrie (OHL), and returning them to their respective CHL teams.

Canada’s roster still holds four goaltenders, nine defensemen and 15 forwards. The team will take 22 players – 20 skaters and two goaltenders – to the World Junior Championship.

Durocher, along with assistant coaches Dean Chynoweth (Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL) and Jim Hulton (Kingston Frontenacs, OHL) and Blair Mackasey, Hockey Canada’s head scout, have been evaluating the players through daily workouts and intrasquad games.

Around the league

Benoit Mondou of the Shawinigan Cataractes was named Monday as the QMJHL offensive player of the week. The lefty had three goals and three assists in three games, and had a rating of plus-2.

On defense, left-handed goaltender Julien Walsh of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar registered a win and a loss, both to Quebec, in two games, while holding down a 1.51 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage.

The Maineiacs divisional race has become decidedly tighter. Division-leading Rimouski has lost some critical games in the past two weeks, and although the Oceanique continue to lead the division, their leading margin is now 11.

Places two through five are a mess with Quebec at 33 points, followed by Chicoutimi at 31, Lewiston at 30 and Baie-Comeau at 29. Lewiston opens up a two-game set against Chicoutimi this weekend at the Central Maine Civic Center.

LAYHL night

Friday’s game against Chicoutimi is Lewiston Area Youth Hockey League Night, according to the Maineiacs’ staff.

As part of an agreement with the youth league, any hockey player in the league that sells two full-price adult tickets will then receive a complimentary ticket of their own. The players will be encouraged to wear their jerseys to the rink and be eligible for prizes if they do so.

All wet

Call it rookie orientation, or just a stupid prank, but all of the Maineiacs’ rookies got a wet and cold welcome to practice last week when they arrived to find equipment strewn across the showers, soaking wet.

The list of players affected ranged from first-and-second liners to fourth-liners and those that are scratched on a regular basis.

Perhaps the most irate player after practicing was Sheldon Wenzel, who left the locker room in a hurry, without talking. He later returned to the locker room, after cooling, er, warming down a bit.

jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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