Lewiston has a good idea what it will take to top

Rouyn-Noranda.
By Justin Pelletier
Staff Writer

They have played just three times this season, including once in Lewiston, but when Lewiston travels to Rouyn-Noranda for games this weekend in their first-round playoff matchup, the Maineiacs will be playing a familiar opponent – themselves.

Not only do the teams play a similar style, but the Maineiacs already have a good idea what they must do to win in the playoffs.

“If we play smart, if we play without bad penalties, we can play with almost every team,” Maineiacs coach Mario Durocher said. “With Rouyn-Noranda, they play a very physical game at home, and the rink there is smaller, so we have to be careful of that.”

This is how the two teams match up in the playoffs.

Offense

The Lewiston Maineiacs have been hit or miss on offense the last two weeks, dropping seven on Baie-Comeau and another four on Victoriaville, but against Chicoutimi and Rimouski the Maineiacs managed just three combined.

Against Rouyn-Noranda, defenseman Jonathan Paiement is the team’s leading scorer with three assists, tied with Gabriel Balasescu, who has three goals. Richard Stehlik also has two assists against the Huskies from the point, and Francis Trudel has a goal.

“The key to our whole team this year, with such a young offense, is our defense,” Durocher said. “We have to match up right against their forwards, and I think we are very deep on defense to be able to do that. With a pairing like Travis Mealy and Brandon Roach as a third pairing, I like how deep that makes us.”

Another interesting offensive note between the two squads is the effectiveness of Mathieu Aubin. This past weekend, playing with Pierre-Luc Faubert and Marc-Andre Cliche, Aubin had a great couple of games. Against Noranda, he has three points in two games, having sat out the middle game at the end of January. The so-called “rookie line” of Faubert, Cliche and Aubin has been quietly producing points all season.

“With that line, they are all rookies, and the all have fun playing out there,” Durocher said. “When you have a rookie on a line with a veteran, sometimes they are nervous and try to do too much. Those three together, they talk out there and have fun, and that has been very important.”

And then, of course, there is the top line. Alexandre Picard, Balasescu and Vladislav Balaz, along with Alex Bourret, will be vital if the Maineiacs hope to advance.

Defense

The entire philosophy of the Lewiston Maineiacs revolves around their ability to play defense. Injuries have taken a toll late in the season, and Bobby Gates and Jonathan Paiement have been limited by injuries, but with a week off, and with Stehlik coming back from his suspension, the defense may be ready in time to cause the Huskies some problems. In three games against Rouyn-Noranda this season (one win, one loss, one tie), Lewiston has allowed 87 shots, an average of 29 per game.

“I like the way we played against them here at home,” Durocher said. “We got 55 shots and limited their chances in close, kept them to the outside.”

With a healthy defensive corps, though, Lewiston will look to limit the Huskies to outside shots and help to clear the rebounds in front of the net.

Goaltending

There might be some debate as to which goaltender will play the majority of the games. Brandon Verge has played well of late, and won a game on Friday despite giving up five goals in the second period.

Matt Davis, on the other hand, had been in a slump, but managed the 17-save shutout on Sunday against Victoriaville on the road.

“I am comfortable with our situation in goal,” Durocher said. “I will have to make a decision on that before we leave, probably, but I like the way Davis played against Cape Breton and against Victoriaville. I think not a lot of the goals against Chicoutimi or Rimouski were his fault, either. But we’ll see.”

The Maineiacs will leave for Rouyn-Noranda Thursday morning and play their first game on Friday night at Dave Keon Arena.

jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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