LEWISTON – Numbers can lie, especially in sports. Shot totals in a hockey game, for example, can be terribly misleading, as Shawinigan found out in the first period against the Lewiston Maineiacs in Game 3 (Lewiston scored three goals on its first six shots while allowing 10 shots with just one goal).
In terms of discipline, though, they rarely falter. During the regular season, Lewiston led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in penalty minutes by more than 100 with 1,804 minutes.
“We changed a little bit our approach (in the playoffs),” said Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin. “We changed the job of everybody. The whole year, we had (Alexandre) Picard, (Alex) Bourret and (Mathieu) Aubin together on a line. In the playoffs, we gave Bou two younger players on his line, and the same with Picard.”
Normally, the team’s better scoring forwards are not top penalty-takers. At least, not on successful teams. This year, though, during the regular season, Picard and Bourret were among the league’s top 26 in penalty minutes. Add in Jonathan Paiement, a veteran defenseman who was third on the team with 62 points, and that put all three top-scoring Maineiacs in the top 26 along with Sheldon Wenzel and Maxime Mathieu. Wenzel led the league with 262 minutes.
That all changed last week. Wenzel still led the team, but with just eight total minor penalties and, importantly, no fights.
“In four games, we haven’t seen any fights,” said Jodoin. “It’s good to prove that we can play hockey without having to fight.”
The comment came directed at Wenzel. And Bourret. And Picard (who had thrown down two or three times this year, too).
In all, Lewiston and Shawinigan combined for 59 power plays. Lewiston had 30 chances with an extra attacker while the Cataractes had 29, and almost half of all of those (26) came during Game 3, when referee Francis Charron lost complete control of the game in the third period. Still, no fights.
Following Wenzel, Bourret was next on the list of Maineiacs’ penalties with seven minors, but it was his ability to draw the first penalty of the game in Game 3 that many will talk about in the coming weeks.
“I thought it was a stupid penalty to take,” said Bourret Tuesday of Patrick Bernier’s attempt to start a fight. “It’s always good to take the lead at the beginning of the game.”
With Bernier in the box, Bourret dodged a defender and left the puck for Mathieu Aubin, who roofed it, giving the Maineiacs an early edge.
Paiement, meanwhile, accrued just four minor penalties, and Picard was whistled just three times.
In four playoff games, the Maineiacs combined for 86 team penalty minutes, which placed the team seventh out of 10 teams. By the end of the day Friday, when most teams are expected to play Game 5 in their series,’ Lewiston will likely be where Jodoin had asked his team to be.
“All year, we led the league in penalties,” Jodoin said. “In the playoffs, I want to be on the other side. I want us to have the least amount of penalties.”
What that all added up to was a discipline-filled game 4 overtime win during which the Maineiacs enjoyed two full periods plus the overtime with no penalties. It was the first time all season Lewiston had gone two consecutive periods without incurring a penalty, and it helped propel the team into the second round.
No fooling – Tickets on sale today
With an early victory Wednesday came a chance for the Maineiacs’ front office to get cranking on ticket sales for the next round of the playoffs.
According to a team press release Thursday, the Maineiacs and the Colisee will begin selling tickets to the first two home playoff games of the next series today at the Colisee box office. The tentative dates for the two games are Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13, but that will not be confirmed until the rest of the QMJHL first round is completed. The tickets will be sold for “Home Playoff Game C” and Home Playoff Game D,” which will correspond to any Maineiacs season-ticket-holders’ tickets that were renewed prior to the playoffs.
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