On Friday the Lewiston Maineiacs’ may play their first home game of the season, but it will most likely feel more like the middle game of a very long road trip.

Because the players’ new visas that allow them to work and earn money in the United States are valid starting on October 1, the team was not allowed to cross the border – until Senator Susan Collins made an important phone call.

“Senator Collins did her thing,” said team vice president and governor Matt McKnight. “She basically called up the border guards, explained to them the situation, that it was all a technicality, and they were allowed to go down through.”

The team had been stranded in St. John and St. Stephen, New Brunswick since late Tuesday, after they upended Cape Breton for their first win of the season.

“We got word (Thursday) that they had gone through, had been approved and that they could come across the border,” said team vice president and governor Matt McKnight. “We called the team up and told them that they were approved, and they went straight to the border at St. Stephen.”

It’s not as if the team had been sitting around, though.

On Wednesday, the Maineiacs drove to St. John and held practice at Harbour Station, a rink that used to house an AHL team and a potential venue for a new team should one either move or should the league decide to expand.

“It’s not like we sat down and took the whole time off,” said coach Clem Jodoin. “The guys are exhausted, they are tired, but you still have to play, to stay in shape.”

On Thursday, in a similar move, the team had ice at Harbour Station and then drove to St. Stephen to await the time when they could in fact cross the border. At 3:30 p.m, the team got word that they had been approved, thanks to the plea from Senator Susan Collins.

The Maineiacs won’t be home for long, though.

On Saturday, the team will once again pack its bags for a road trip, heading north to Rimouski for a date with the most explosive offense in the league.

The team’s three games following the Sunday game at Rimouski will also be on the road, at Rouyn-Noranda, Val d’Or and Gatineau. The Maineiacs’ first real homestand will be seven games long, and will run from Wednesday, Oct. 13 to Wednesday, Oct. 27.