LEWISTON – It didn’t take long for Nate Frechette to learn what junior hockey was really all about.

Wearing a half-shield visor for the first time in competition, Frechette tried to stop a forward from making a move to the net. As the stick came up over Frechette’s head, the blade caught him under the nose and opened a gash on his right nostril.

“Actually, this is pretty awesome,” said Frechette. “I got it out of the way early, and now I know what it feels like. I don’t think I’ll be afraid to go into any corners now that I’ve got this out of the way.”

While Frechette came out of the day with a scar, Colby Gilbert and Kirk Bolduc came out with points in their game. Gilbert scored a goal and had an assist in the first half of his game, while Bolduc also had a goal in the same game, playing for the other team.

“The pace was about what I expected,” Gilbert said. “It was fast, it was intense. It’s hard to say how I played so early. I just know that I’ve worked hard all summer and this is the time to show it now.”

Tyler Martin played in his four-on-four game against Frechette and he, too, went scoreless.

For all of the players making their first appearance in a QMJHL training camp, and in particular the local high school players, the experience was fast – very fast.

“If I went back to high school right now, right after this, I would feel like it is so slow,” said Frechette. “Just being here is bringing the level of my game up, and if I want to even compete with these guys, I am going to have to keep getting better and better as the weekend goes on. This weekend is just a great way to learn for myself what I can do.”