By Daniel Hartill,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – The Lewiston Maineiacs have met their magic number. And soon, they may even conjure up some profits.

The hockey team says an average of 2,662 people attended each contest during the 35-game regular season, which ended Sunday.

The proven fan base means the hockey team will stay.

“The magic number was 2,500,” Mayor Lionel Guay said Tuesday. “This can only get better.”

Had ticket sales fallen short of the magic number – an average attendance of 2,500 for a period of 25 games – the franchise would have been free to leave.

That’s not going to happen, said Matt McKnight, the Maineiacs’ vice president and governor.

“We’re here permanently,” he said Tuesday.

Besides, the attendance suggests that money can be made here.

“This is a huge milestone for us,” said McKnight. “We’re not bleeding money like we were last year.”

Exact numbers had not yet been calculated because bills were still coming in and money was still going out, McKnight said.

After all, there’s more hockey to be played.

On Friday, the team will begin the post-season in Shawinigan, Quebec. The first home playoff game is scheduled for next Tuesday.

“We expect to finish the year right around the break-even point,” McKnight said.

That’s pretty good for a franchise that has yet to complete its second full year, he said. It happened despite the team’s adjustment to Lewiston and the city’s adjustment to the team.

Much of that was convincing people that the Maineiacs, part of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, were more than a glorified high school team, McKnight said.

“You can tell people that this kid could be playing in the NHL next year, but they have to see it for themselves,” he said.

Tied at the hip’

Meanwhile, there have been distractions due to the city takeover of the arena and its $2 million renovation, the last touches of which are still being completed.

“Even now, we don’t have some things done,” said Jim Bennett, Lewiston’s city administrator.

Bennett said he was not too worried that the franchise might leave, but he was pleased to see the numbers.

“The community, and I mean more than just the city, has embraced the team,” Bennett said. “I think it’ll be here a long time.”

In total, more than 93,000 tickets were sold to this season’s games. The Colisee has a 3,700-seat capacity.

Attendance for a single game fell beneath 2,000 only twice. On both occasions, local sports fans were drawn to baseball.

One night was Oct. 20, when the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees for the American League pennant. The other was a week later, the night the long-suffering Sox won the World Series.

Mayor Guay believes the Maineiacs’ success will have a lasting effect on the city and how it is perceived across the region.

He says that when he is out of town, the team and its renovated arena are the most popular topics of conversation.

“It’s all they talk about,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Maineiacs are preparing for another boost next year.

In its inaugural season, the team sold 955 season tickets and the average attendance was 2,050. This year’s attendance figures were helped by the sale of 1,725 season tickets.

If they can increase season ticket sales to 2,000, the average attendance should climb past the 3,000 mark, McKnight said.

Such figures would boost revenue for the city.

The proposed 2006 city budget assumes average tickets sales will reach at least 2,800, at which point the team must share some of its proceeds.

“We’re tied at the hip,” McKnight said.

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