This is one homecoming during which the Lewiston Maineiacs want to make their guests feel as un-welcome as possible.

With the expectation of a sell-out crowd and the first win under coach Clem Jodoin already in the bag, the Maineiacs return to Lewiston on Friday for their first home game of the season, when they will square off against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the Colisee.

“It will be nice to be home,” said Jodoin. “The fans have been waiting for this for a long time, it sounds like it will be a sell-out and the team really wants to play in front of a home crows.”

The homecoming will be brief, but the Maineiacs are hoping that with it will come a win, and the team’s first trip above .500 of the season. Last year, the team struggled to an 0-4 start, and never fully recovered, going 5-12-1 in its first 18 games.

“You cannot take any team lightly in this league,” said Jodoin. “In junior hockey, even if a team has six losses, they are dangerous, because you are dealing with kids, and they are always hungry.”

The game Friday will feature the return of some familiar faces to Lewiston, as Maxime Robert will be back on Colisee ice for the first time since being released during training camp. The Titan picked Robert up in the special 19-year-old waiver period immediately following his release, and he has been stellar in the faceoff circle for Bathurst. Through six games, Robert has taken the third-most faceoffs in the entire league, and is the leader in efficiency among those with more than 50 draws, winning an astounding 62.6 percent of his faceoffs.

And Robert isn’t the only face that will be familiar to Maineiacs fans. In a trade earlier this season, the Titan acquired Eric Beaudin, a 5-foot, 4-inch fireball that last season was a thorn in Lewiston’s side during the playoffs when he played for Rouyn-Noranda.

Still, the numbers appear to be in Lewiston’s favor.

In six games, the Titan have yet to record a victory, and have earned just two points via overtime losses. They have struggled to put the puck in the net, too, scoring just 14 goals (2.33 goals per game) while allowing 28.

The Maineiacs, meanwhile, have been better on offense, scoring 11 goals in three games, while Jonathan Bernier has provided ample aptitude between the pipes, stopping 81 shots while playing the second-most minutes of any rookie goaltender in the league through just three games. On Friday, though, fans can expect to see a well-rested, but not stale, Jaroslav Halak in net.

“Halak will start,” said Jodoin. “It is good that we have two capable goaltenders if one is not playing well, but Halak is the guy. he knows this and he knows he has to be ready for us.”

To help Halak and Michal Korenko, who remained behind on the road trip, assistant coach Jeff Guay and goaltending coach Marc Champagne returned to Lewiston after Sunday’s game in Moncton to work with the two Slovakians. Guay returned to the team Wednesday.

“These guys have to be in shape, too,” said Jodoin. “It was good that they were able to work out this week while we were gone.”

Faceoff for the game tonight is at 7:00 p.m. at the Colisee, and a handful of tickets were still available at press time.