The will he or won’t he saga of Sidney Crosby with respect to whether or not he will play in Lewiston this week is finally resolved.

According to a team official, Crosby was on the bus with the team on Wednesday as it made its way down Route 201 from Jackman, and was expected to be in the lineup on tonight.

Crosby, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s leading scorer with 48 goals and 64 assists for 112 points in just 50 games played, was originally going to sit out the game and another over the weekend to call attention to what Rimouski management called “poor officiating” in the league.

This announcement came last week, and generated a lot of talk around the league. In a statement to a New Brunswick newspaper, Oceanic general manager Doris Labonte said he “would be surprised” if Crosby did not play against Lewiston, a reversal of the team’s previous stance.

Meanwhile, Maineiacs had two days off to make their preparations for Crosby and the Oceanic.

“We prepared like he was going to be here,” said Maineiacs assistant coach Ed Harding. “I think there was some doubt the last time we played Rimouski, also, and he ended up not showing up, but we practiced then like he would be there, too.”

In six meetings this season, Lewiston has beaten the odds with six wins.

“Rimouski is known to play almost a run-and-gun style of hockey,” Harding said. “We have to make sure we don;t fall into the trap of trying to keep pace with that. We’ve been successful against them in the past by playing our own game and being patient.”

Goaltending has also been a factor for the Maineiacs in all of its games against Rimouski. In the first five games, Brandon Verge got the wins in net, while Matt Davis posted the 8-0 shutout. Davis has started every game for the last two weeks, and is currently on a four-game unbeaten streak. According to Harding, the starting goaltender will not be named until Thursday.

“I think Tuesday’s practice was ragged,” Harding said. “(Wednesday) was much better. I think it was just a matter of finding their stride after the break.”

On the injury front, the Maineiacs are still relatively healthy. Kevin Turgeon suffered another concussion last weekend when he was casually bumped in the head while making a line change. He continues to suffer from headaches and memory loss, and will not return to the lineup until he is symptom-free. Richard Stehlik, who suffered a groin injury over the weekend, should play, according to Harding, as should Marc-Andre Cliche and Gabriel Balasescu, who made their return to the lineup last Saturday in a 6-3 win over Chicoutimi.

Maxime Robert, out two weeks with a shoulder problem, is also set to skate on Thursday, and is probable for a full return to the lineup.

“The guys all know what’s at stake this weekend,” Harding said. “We really need to take care of two points against them. Head to head, we still face them one more time and Chicoutimi once, too. We can still win this division.”

jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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