LEWISTON – Marcel Bilodeau believes a good education is as important to an athlete’s future as playing for a professional team.

So he is making sure local hockey players have a shot at both.

Bilodeau, an Auburn city councilor and retired banker, started the Lewiston Maineiacs Education Foundation to improve the schooling of players and to get scholarships for Americans who want to attend college after leaving the team.

“We want to make the players feel that they are pursuing an education while they are pursing athletics,” Bilodeau said

Established last spring, the Maineiacs is the only Quebec Major Junior Hockey League franchise based in America. Players are between 16 and 20 years old.

High school-age players are required to continue schooling and older players are encouraged to take college classes.

Over the winter, team officials struggled to find the right education program. They had hoped to put many of the players in real schools, but Quebec education laws, daily practices and long road trips interfered. Nearly all of the players had to take correspondence courses instead.

Officials hope to change that next season and are talking with area colleges about providing classes and other resources to players.

The Education Foundation hopes to help by raising money to supplement the players’ basic school needs. Bilodeau said he’d like to start by getting more tutors.

“If we’re successful, the tutor would even go on the road with the guys,” he said.

The foundation also plans to raise money for a scholarship fund for American Maineiacs players.

As of now, the team gives players up to $18,000 for college when they leave the Maineiacs. That’s enough to pay for nearly all four years at a Canadian school, but American colleges cost much more. And because NCAA rules prohibit players from fully participating in college hockey after they’ve been part of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Americans find it nearly impossible to get hockey scholarships from U.S. colleges.

American players have had to choose between a college scholarship and a spot on the Maineiacs.

“Do I take a scholarship with UMO or do I take my chances that I’ll be able to afford to go to college after the Maineiacs?” Bilodeau said.

An Education Foundation scholarship would make that choice easier, guaranteeing American Maineiacs players enough money to pay for an American college after they leave the team. Bilodeau would like the scholarships eventually to reach between $25,000 and $30,000.

“That makes our recruitment of players very competitive,” Bilodeau said.

The Education Foundation so far has raised more than $1,000 through a raffle. It plans to have more fund-raising raffles and auctions in the future.

The team appreciates the assistance.

Said education adviser Roger Lachapelle, “It’s helpful, without a doubt.”

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