The Maineiacs thank fans for their support over the season.
LEWISTON – The line of people started forming outside the Multi-Purpose Center on Birch Street more than a half hour before the first player was even in sight.
By 6 p.m, the scheduled start time for the Lewiston Maineiacs’ final meet and greet of the season, the line was all the way down the sidewalk and starting to curl around the corner of the building.
Inside, players and coaches from the team that just ended its inaugural season with a Game 7 loss on Tuesday, milled around before being ushered to their tables by order of jersey number. In front of each player was a stack of hockey cards, their own cards, waiting to be signed for adoring fans.
“This is kind of crazy,” Maineiacs head coach Mario Durocher said as fans began streaming through the doors. “This is great support from the fans for the first year. I can only imagine what it will be like when we win more games next year. Wins are good for everybody.”
While fans, particularly kids, crowded the tables, but the table that held the fans the longest was that of Sheldon Wenzel. Wenzel was given the fan’s choice award this year, and his popularity spiked again in the playoffs when he delivered the overtime game-winner in Game 5.
“Wenzel is my favorite,” said eight-year-old Maineiacs fan T.J. Rotolico of Minot. “I like him because he fights a lot.”
After people around him laughed and asked him why that was good, Rotolico responded: “He fights to protect his players and in self-defense.”
T.J.’s father, Tony, didn’t need his arm twisted to bring T.J, his daughter Tia and wife Debbie to the event.
“We found out about the tailgate party last Saturday on the Internet and went to that,” Tony said. “After that, we checked back and saw that this was happening. This was really something that was important for this community, and you can see tonight how much they have turned out to support it.”
The players, too, were in a mild state of shock at the seemingly endless parade of people coming around the corner from the entryway.
“This helped us give something back to the fans,” defenseman Chad Denny said. “They have been great all year, too.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was late when I came in and saw all of the people at the door,” defenseman Brandon Roach added. “At the beginning we were told that maybe the spirit of hockey here had died. It’s nice to see that maybe we helped bring that back a bit.”
Fans gave congratulatory handshakes to the over-age players, Francis Trudel, Karl Fournier and Gabriel Balasescu, wishing them well as they pursue other hockey opportunities. Rookies Marc-Andre Cliche and Mathieu Aubin were told they were welcome back next year.
“This allowed us to put an end to the season,” Maineiacs billet coordinator Ron Guerin said. “After (Thursday), we will have our last team function, a luncheon with all of administration and with the players, and then they will start heading home over the weekend.”
For those already counting, there are now just 134 days until training camp opens again in August.
NOTES: Alexandre Picard received a Golden Puck Award on Wednesday night in Montreal as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s top professional prospect. Also honored was defenseman Jonathan Paiement, who was selected as a first-team all star. Picard and Paiement are both expected to be selected in this June’s NHL entry draft in North Carolina.
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