LEWISTON – One day after the Maineiacs laid out the options for all of the players that might be on the fence with their NCAA eligibility, it appeared as though Scott Geoffroy of Lewiston was ready to take that step toward the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
He showed up at the Colisee on Friday morning, hopped out of his car and walked into the locker room. Instead of suiting up, he met with the coaches and informed them of his decision to leave camp to preserve his eligibility.
“It shocked me, personally,” said assistant coach Jeff Guay, who had coached Geoffroy at Lewiston High School. “He had come up three weeks ago and told us that that wasn’t going to be an issue. He impressed Clem, the coaching staff and the scouts in camp, and with some of the guys leaving for NHL camps next month, he would have at least been in some exhibition games with us.”
Geoffroy left camp immediately following the meeting and was not available for comment.
“We had him at about No. 9 on the depth chart,” said Guay, “but we think that he made a wise decision as a 19-year-old.”
Guay went on to talk about the prospects of a local player making the jump to the QMJHL.
“The biggest thing is that by the time they really are ready around here, the kids are already 19, which is late,” said Guay. “But at 16 or 17, they have no mileage. Some of the better players are starting to get out there and play in more tournaments and play more all year, but it’s hard for people to realize how much time needs to go into the game to get to this level at 16 or 17.”
Roster complete
The training camp roster is now complete.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier and forward Stefan Chaput arrived at camp late Friday afternoon after taking a few days off to relax at home. Both players recently returned from Europe, where they won a gold medal as part of the Canadian Under-18 team.
“It was a long trip, but it was just awesome,” said Chaput.
“It was the first time for me over there,” said Bernier. “The crowd was unbelievable.”
In some cases, according to the players, it was a little hostile, too.
“We were playing against the Czech team in the Czech Republic for the gold medal,” said Chaput. “We had a police escort to the ice and everything. People were throwing eggs at us and everything. What an experience.”
Bernier’s father reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his son’s gold medal to show people, displaying it with pride.
“The trip, it helped,” said Bernier. “For confidence, it helps a lot.”
Bernier, 17, will need plenty of that this year as he takes over the No. 1 job between the pipes.
Rest for the weary
This morning may be a welcome relief for this year’s campers.
After three straight days of practices lasting more than an hour and starting at 9 a.m., the coaching staff has eased up a bit for Day 4.
Practices this morning will start at 10, and will last just 45 minutes for the two groups of skaters.
“We’ll let them sleep a bit,” said Maineiacs head coach and general manager Clem Jodoin. “They have two games left, now, and they will need a bit of rest.”
Some players nursing minor injuries, such as Marc-Andre Daneau, Pierre-Luc Champagne and Stefano Giliati sat out the intrasquad game Friday night, but are not expected to miss much time.
After their practices, the staff has encouraged the players to show up at the street hockey festival in the Colisee parking lot.
“They can go watch and have a good time in the afternoon,” said Jodoin. “They worked hard so far this week.”
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