LEWISTON – Lewiston Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin stood up from his chair and walked over the the wall on the opposite side of the coaches’ room.
Like a master puzzle-builder, Jodoin started moving players’ names, which had been written in ink on multicolored, rectangular slices of construction paper. Back and forth he went until he had carved out a series of lines and defensive pairings.
“It is like a puzzle,” said Jodoin. “You have to have speed, and he can dish the puck and he can grind. These are the lines.”
Considering injuries, a three-games-in-three-nights road trip and a defenseman that has proven ability as a forward, Jodoin crafted his lines for this weekend’s trip.
“We’ll see what we can get out of this weekend,” said Jodoin. “It’s two good teams. It all comes back to execution. The special units have to work. The diggers have to dig, the scorers have to score and the grinders have to grind. It’s goaltending, too, no question.”
Jodoin already told his netminders that Jonathan Bernier will play tonight and again Sunday, with Travis Fullerton getting the Saturday game.
As for the opponents this weekend, the Maineiacs have just two despite the three games – a double set in Bathurst against the Titan and one against the Moncton Wildcats. The Wildcats and Maineiacs have become familiar this season already, battling each to a one-goal win on the other’s rink. The Titan remain a mystery of sort. Coach Mario Durocher brought his squad to the Colisee for a late preseason game.
“They had their team,” said Jodoin. “That was good for us, very very good for us. We know what to expect, what they do, how they play, so we can better prepare mentally.”
Lewiston was missing eight players that week due to professional camps, prompting Durocher to complain about a lack of a test for his team. Even with a full lineup, though, Jodoin is cautious regarding the Titan, especially in consideration of the Maineiacs’ last game, a less-than-perfect 5-3 win over Halifax on Tuesday.
“They can skate, they can score, but the game is on the ice,” said Jodoin. “We will be there, we will stay with them because we can skate. For sure, if we play like (Tuesday) night, it’s going to be a long trip. It happens, they are kids, the highs and the lows of the game, but we have to want to be more in the highs, not in the lows. The question is do we want to be a good team, the best team, or do we want to be an average team?”
With three games against the two top teams in the Eastern Division this weekend, the Maineiacs are about to find out.
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