LEWISTON – The cuts are final – for now.

With the Lewiston Maineiacs taking a four-day mini-vacation for Labor Day weekend, it seemed only appropriate that the final cut was announced as players packed up and left.

On Friday morning, Maineiacs officials sent Dave Ghaleb, also a late cut last season, packing, leaving the final roster count at 25 players.

“We wanted to keep 25 on the roster for now,” said coach and general manager Clem Jodoin. “With so many people either going to training camps, or some with injuries right now, we wanted to have enough players to choose from and in the right situations.”

As for Ghaleb, he “knew it was coming,” according to Jodoin.

“Ghaleb told me that I didn’t have to tell him anything,” Jodoin said. “He understood that there were too many talented young hockey players that were at about the same level as him that we needed to keep to develop. He also said that if we needed someone to come in for some energy at some time during the season, that he was willing to do that for us.”

The 25 players are one more than expected, and the final cut also means that Auburn’s Colby Gilbert has made the roster, at least for now.

“We will keep the 25 for now,” said Jodoin, “but at Christmas we will re-evaluate everyone and the team and see where we stand. There is also possibility that people move around during the season, too, but we will start with 25. This will keep a lot of players on their toes.”

The team breaks down this way: Of the 25 players, two are 16-years-old – Pierre-Luc Champagne and Jonathan Bernier – six are 17-years-old, five are 18, seven are 19 and three (Sheldon Wenzel, Bobby Gates and Nicolas Cowan) will play as over-age players.

Lewiston resumes practice next week and will prepare for its final preseason tilt against Shawinigan on Thursday.

The team will then have two weeks before its season-opener Sept. 24 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.