LEWISTON – For the second time in a week and for the first time at home, St. Dom’s will host Lewiston in a hockey game.
This one, much like last week’s 2-2 tie in Portland, will not mean anything in the standings. But, like every other time the two longtime rivals meet, there will be plenty at stake.
“Technically, it doesn’t count,” said St. Dom’s coach John Pleau, “but any game against Lewiston means something to the program and to the kids.”
The game will be the second matchup of two at the Colisee tonight in the first round of the Bishop’s Cup Tournament. The first game, at 6 p.m., will feature two more top contenders for this year’s Class A crown, Brunswick and Cheverus. Tonight’s two losing teams will meet Saturday in the consolation game at 6 p.m., and will be followed by tonight’s two winners.
“When you look at it, it’s very competitive for all of the coaches and teams involved,” said Gagne. “This is a good chance for us to see where our teams are at right now, before the games count.”
The teams fought to a 2-2 tie last weekend in a game which saw St. Dom’s take 11 penalties to Lewiston’s three.
“We told our penalty kill unit we wouldn’t have to work on that all week,” joked Pleau. “We killed 11 penalties, and this week we’re going to have to be more disciplined for sure.”
For the Blue Devils, taking just three penalties was a vast improvement over the previous night.
“The kids showed some leadership,” said Gagne. “The night before, we had killed off all the penalties.”
Gagne paused, and continued as he started to laugh.
“That game was a lot of fun,” said Gagne. “But I joked with John (Pleau), I told him after the game they deserved all of those penalties because they were wearing black jerseys.”
Both first-year coaches have been around long enough to know how to treat the rivalry between these two teams.
“I just hope the rivalry doesn’t get stale,” said Gagne. “We have to play them two more times at least this year.”
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