Practice was technically over, and they didn’t need to be there. At center ice, Sheldon Wenzel, Eric Castonguay, Jonathan Paiement and Jonathan Cameron played one-on-one, with the defensemen tending the “goal” (the width of the red line against the boards).
At the far end, Nick Cowan continued to shoot at an empty net, while on the near side Stefan Chaput and Sebastien Piche worked on one-timers down low, trying to pick corners.
Almost every single one of them had a smile on their face – they were having fun.
“If you are not having fun in junior hockey, you’re missing the point,” said Lewiston Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin.
And from the team’s perspective, why not? The No. 10 Maineiacs are ahead of the No. 7 Shawinigan Cataractes 2-0 after sweeping the first two games of the series on the road.
“Even after the game in in Shawinigan, everyone was very quiet on the bus,” said Jodoin. “Everybody. Sometimes you carry the emotion so far, but that wasn’t the case. We were happy after the game, but we knew it was just a win in a game. We didn’t win anything yet. There are still more games to play.”
Games 3 and 4 are tonight and Wednesday evening at the Colisee, and while the wins were nice on the road, the team was back to the drawing board Monday morning, working not so much on the system, but on the finer points of the game.
“There are always details,” said Jodoin. “Details, details, details. (Today) we have some good video sessions to bring up details of the game on the execution. I told the boys, I told them that those that don’t want to play the system won’t play. I told them, it doesn’t matter if you’re first, second, third or fourth line, you won’t play. If you don’t execute, if you don’t bring that intensity, you won’t play.”
And while many of the key players so far in the series have been newcomers (Marc-Andre Daneau had the biggest goal in Game 1), it has been the veterans showing the way – so far.
“The veterans have to do the job,” said Jodoin. “(Alexandre) Picard, Paiement, Wenzel, (Brandon) Roach, (Alex) Bourret, all the veterans, they have to be the key guys in this organization, and they were in the first two games.”
Some of the team’s regulars are still recovering from injuries or awaiting a return to the lineup. Mathieu Aubin played a limited role on the power play and on the penalty-kill in the first two games, for instance, and Cowan is two games away from being back from a suspension. Maxime Mathieu started to skate Monday, as well. Still, with the success the team has had, the coaches need to decide where to re-insert these players.
Meanwhile, shifting Picard and Bourret to separate lines has also opened up opportunities on offense.
“So far, we try to adjust with what is out there,” said Jodoin. “You have your two best players on two different lines, they have to cover both of them equal, and then you have Denny on the other line creating problems. When you rely on one line, it’s tough sometimes to keep the intensity.”
The players and the coaching staff both know the Cataractes will not just go away with a whimper. Teams have come from two games down many times, and indeed this series could easily be knotted at one.
“I respect them,” said Jodoin. “They have a good team. If you look at the second period (Sunday), they could have scored two or three times. It could have gone the other way. They hit two posts. For 15 minutes we didn’t touch the puck and then we come back with two goals in a row, so it could happen the same thing to us. They have a good team, they are well coached, so for us it’s discipline, you know. Discipline in the play, discipline on the ice, discipline after the whistle. This is the whole structure of the playoffs.”
In the battle between the pipes, Jaroslav Halak has had the upper hand so far in this series, allowing just two goals in two games. His .966 save percentage (56 saves on 58 shots) is first among playoff goaltenders that played two games, and second behind Maxime Joyal of Quebec (39 saves on 40 shots in one game).
“He made the key saves, that’s it,” said Jodoin. “That’s his job. We helped him out a little bit, too. His job, he has to be outstanding. It doesn’t matter if he has 15 shots, 20 shots, 25, he needs to stop the puck. He needs to make the key saves. If you don’t have the goaltending to make the key saves, you will never win anything.”
Julien Ellis, meanwhile, struggled in the first two games on his home ice, and seemed stung by a Chad Denny slap shot late in the third period of Game 1.
Shawinigan’s forwards have been quick, but their best shots have come from either the point or from along the walls in the Maineiacs’ zone. Leading scorers Benoit Mondou and Sebastien Courcelles have been held to an assist each, and Steve Bellefleur, who has both Shawinigan goals so far, had just two in all of the regular season.
Adding to the home-ice advantage that the Maineiacs now enjoy is a scheduled “white-out,” during which all fans are encouraged to wear white. White towels will be handed out to the first 3,000 fans through the door.
The Maineiacs, meanwhile, are just ready to play the game on the ice, but will also continue to have a good time.
“It’s the best time of the year,” said Jodoin. “Why waste that?”
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