LEWISTON – Lewiston Maineiacs players might qualify for other than seasonal worker visas, according to city and team officials.

Squeezing players into another category might be a way around a federally imposed cap on seasonal workers visas, letting the hockey team pay its players.

“These are the best players in the sport for their age, and they’re in the same category as a seasonal worker,” said Jim Bennett, Lewiston city administrator. “It might be time to explore treating these athletes the way they deserve to be treated.”

Bennett and Lewiston and Auburn Mayors Lionel and Normand Guay met with team officials and representatives from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office Thursday to discuss finding a way around a cap on seasonal worker H2B visas. The meeting included an hour-long conference call with the senator, who was in Washington.

That cap threatens to keep the team from paying its 25 players and some coaches during part of the coming season.

Last year, the United States granted 78,955 of the H2B visas – well beyond the 66,000 cap. Those allow foreign workers to get paid for seasonal jobs in the United States.

This year, the Department of Homeland Security began enforcing the cap, said Michael Bopp, Sen. Collins’ government affairs aide.

“Last year, the cap was reached and they didn’t even realize it,” Bopp said. “This year, there was much greater scrutiny.”

Professional athletes at much larger teams – professional baseball, for example – qualify for a P Visa, Bopp said. But players on minor league teams don’t qualify. Changing that, or expanding the H2B cap, would require federal legislation. It’s a long-term solution to the problem, Bopp said, and not a sure thing.

“There is opposition to fixing this, in the House and the Senate,” Bopp said.

In the meantime, the city and the team are weighing temporary options. Players could qualify for student visas, Bennett said. And Matt McKnight, Maineiacs vice president, said the team is working with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to reschedule three home games that would be affected by the cap. The cap resets this fall, and the Maineiacs players could qualify for H2-B visas for next year.

“We might move some of our home games to Canada and then come back to Lewiston when we can pay the players,” McKnight said. “That’s tough to do, once the schedule is set, but it is an option.”

The Maineiacs are scheduled to open training camp in mid-August, and the season will start in mid-September.

“The good news is, we will have a team next year,” Bennett said. “We have a lot of options to explore and there is no question we will work something out.”

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