DRUMMONDVILLE, Quebec – Some arrived in shorts and t-shirts, while others arrived ready to brave the coldest of ice arenas, clad in fleece jackets and lined jeans.

The large, plain white bus with faint markings left over from last winter (the bus on Sunday was the team’s logo bus last season) in the Colisee parking lot rocked lightly back and forth as people settled in for a late summer trip.

“OK, who’s ready for some hockey?” asked a raised voice from the back of the bus.

This bus trip to Canada wasn’t for prescription drugs, nor was it a gaming trip.

“First and foremost this is for the boys, for the team,” said trip organizer and billet mother Peggy Auger, who along with fellow billet mom Sheila Blanchette has organized 11 different fan bus trips for the upcoming Lewiston Maineiacs season.

“Last year, after a game in Quebec, the players couldn’t stop raving about the fans that were there supporting them,” said Auger.

The game

On Sunday, in their second preseason game, the Lewiston Maineiacs thrilled their tag-along fans with a come-from-behind 3-3 tie against the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

“There were a couple of nice plays that we just didn’t finish on,” said assistant coach Ed Harding, coaching Sunday in place of head coach and general manager Clem Jodoin. “In games that Clem and I coach, we always like to think that we are still in every game, no matter the score. They proved it tonight.”

Eric Castonguay and Pierre-Luc Champagne had a goal and an assist each in the third period to bring the Maineiacs back from a 3-1 deficit.

More veterans played Sunday than in the team’s first game Friday, also against Drummondville. The team chemistry benefitted from the veteran presence.

“In the case of (Alex) Bourret and (Mathieu) Aubin, they have family in the area and we are here so little during the season,” said Harding, “but in general, we wanted to see, too, how the younger kids played with the more experienced players.”

And the players were certainly cognizant of the fans, who whooped and hollared at every turn.

“It’s pretty incredible that the fans come all the way here just for a preseason game,” said Aubin. “It helps us out a lot on the ice. They are like a sixth player, really.”

Organized

The reason the bus full of fans was in Canada in the first place can be traced back to last season, and to Auger’s and Blanchette’s desire to watch as many hockey games as possible.

“We saw between 50 and 60 games last year,” said Blanchette. “We had such a good time, but it was rough because it wasn’t well-organized.”

“Last year it was more of a pack up and go kind of thing,” Auger added. “This year, everything is planned out as well as it can be. There are games on the bus and everything now. It’s a blast to travel with us.”

The two women credit a love for hockey and an empty house as two key elements to making the system work.

“The biggest thing, and why we’re able to do this is that we don’t have little kids at home anymore,” said Auger.

“I couldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t do it if I still had kids at home,” added Blanchette. “But where my kids are grown, and because I am involved with the team, it’s that much easier.”

What’s next

The trip Sunday was the only preseason trip the group had planned, but the first week of the season will bring another trip, this one an overnight excursion to the Maritime provinces.

“We tried to mix it up a little and still give people a chance to go with their work schedules,” said Auger. “We know people can’t make them all, but we have enough options.”

The players, meanwhile, are excited to have a traveling road show following them.

“We appreciate them being out there,” said forward Ryan Murphy. “It’s nice to hear them and the applause rather than the boos.

And as long as the players are happy, say Blanchette and Auger, the fan bus will continue to roll.