Lewiston hopes to continue its recent roll tonight against Rouyn-Noranda.
By Justin Pelletier
Staff Writer

LEWISTON – It may be Valentine’s weekend, but when two teams within shouting distance of the Lewiston Maineiacs in the overall standings come to town, there is sure to be no love on the ice at all.

The Maineiacs (26-26-3-1, 56 pts.) continue their six-game homestand this weekend with games against Rouyn-Noranda (27-20-8-0, 62 pts.) and Chicoutimi (27-21-6-3, 63 pts.).

“These are two big games, for sure,” Maineiacs coach Mario Durocher said. “Noranda will be on their third game in three nights, and both teams are ahead of us in the standings, so we need to beat them. The whole goal right now is to get ready for the playoffs.”

The Huskies suffered a crushing 9-1 defeat on Wednesday to start their trip, and have struggled since a stellar start to the season.

“Like us, they are not the same team on the road that they are at home,” Durocher said. “The last time we lost at home was to P.E.I. (Jan. 2), and we have played well here. We need to win at home while we can.”

Yannick Tifu leads the Huskies with 66 points, followed by Giulio Scandella with 52, although Scandella has played in just 36 games. The last time the two teams met was in late January, and Lewiston hung on to defeat Rouyn-Noranda 3-1 at the Dave Keon Arena.

“They outplayed us in the third period of that game,” Durocher said. “It was our second game in two nights and the rink there is much smaller. I think it will be to our advantage to be here at home.”

The Central Maine Civic Center has been advantageous for the Maineiacs in 2004. The team is 7-1-1 since the beginning of the year.

That advantage may be necessary for Saturday’s game against Chicoutimi. The Sagueneens have won or tied every game on their home ice since New Year’s, but are just 2-3-1 on the road.

“They are a team that plays very well at home,” Durocher said. “They are a tough, physical team, and their coach is tough on the kids to play well and to play hard. We are going to need to play tough but smart against them.”

“The next three games in a row are big for us,” Durocher said. “All three teams (including Rimouski on Thursday of next week) are against teams just ahead of us in the standings. With the team’s last two-day break of the season following Saturday’s game, I hope that they will give everything they have, knowing they get two days off afterward.”

NOTES: Marc-Andre Cliche, who went down in a head with a leg injury on Wednesday night said on Thursday that he would be ready to go on Friday…Gabriel Balasescu is still waiting for stitches in his ankle to take, and is still day-to-day. The stitches are on the part of his leg where the skate and shin pads meet…Maxime Robert was on the ice alone for practice on Thursday, and is still day-to-day, while Karl Fournier, also out with a leg injury, is expecting to play again this season, although he is unsure of a return date.

jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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