Lewiston begins a three-game road trip tonight.
By Justin Pelletier
Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Maineiacs’ coach Mario Durocher nearly fell out of his chair, his voice was stern and his eyes widened with a look that asked “Are you crazy?”

The mistake?

Mentioning Cape Breton as the big game this weekend and overlooking lowly Halifax.

“Let’s start with Halifax,” Durocher said. “They are a tough team at home, they work hard all the time, and they are fighting for a spot in the playoffs. They will be a hungry team.”

Hunger doesn’t translate into victories in every instance, but in the Mooseheads’ case, their hunger of late has translated into a tighter playoff race at the bottom end of the league.

Currently, Baie-Comeau is clinging to 13th place in the league, the final playoff position, but Halifax is just three points back with three games in hand.

“The only team that’s really out of anything is Bathurst,” Durocher said. “If we think that the game against Halifax will be easy, we are in trouble.”

And Lewiston will play most of the weekend severely shorthanded on the blue line. Richard Stehlik, after trying to come back from a groin injury on Sunday, will be out for the weekend after re-aggravating that injury. Bobby Gates, who sat out practice last Saturday, also with a groin injury, played Sunday, but he, too will sit at least two games this weekend, leaving just five standing. According to Durocher, the team will most likely call up either Maxime Brunet of Steve Holland to fill the void this weekend, with Holland being a likely choice because of his current proximity to the Maritimes.

And if that wasn’t enough, Lewiston will face perhaps the best team in the league on Friday in Cape Breton, which has two NHL-quality goaltenders, one of which has spent time there this season, and an enviable forward line that includes a former Lewiston player in Nicolas Corbeil.

“We have to play a solid defensive game against them, there is no question about that,” Durocher said. “We played well against them on the road last time and got a point from them, and I think we deserved a win here, too. If we play well, and if we have a chance to win, that says a lot about how prepared we are for the playoffs.”

Last year, in Sherbrooke, Corbeil was the leading scorer in the playoffs, netting nine goals and 16 assists in just 12 games. This season, Corbeil has six goals and 17 assists in just 19 games for the Screaming Eagles.

Lewiston will travel to Moncton next Sunday to visit the Wildcats.

“They play well defensively, and with discipline, Durocher said. “They are a tough team, too. All three games this weekend are tough tests, but good tests, and we will see how this team responds in those games.”

jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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