LEWISTON – Mention the fact the Lewiston Maineiacs have won eight of their last 11 games to head coach Clem Jodoin, and he cracks a wry, knowing smile, almost like he knew this would happen.
“We have one of the best records in the league in the last 10 games,” said Jodoin. “This is good, but we can still do better. We can still do more.”
But, mention that the team’s only losses are to division-leading Acadie-Bathurst and to a powerhouse Moncton team, and Jodoin explodes.
“But we beat them, too,” said Jodoin. “We know we can beat them, too.”
So when a team like St. John’s comes to town, it might be easy for fans to overlook them, to dismiss the Fog Devils as a second-class team that the Maineiacs have defeated four times in five tries this season (the other was a shootout loss in the Fog Devils’ home opener).
The team, however, isn’t thinking like that at all, working hard at a full on-ice practice Tuesday morning in advance of today’s 7 p.m. contest at the Colisee.
“When you go soft, you’re still going to be soft,” said Jodoin. “It was the same thing after we won Friday (in Cape Breton). The next day, we had a tough practice, and the players were asking me when practice was going to be over. I told them, When I say it’s over.’ This is what we have to do to get better.”
The Fog Devils, since losing two in a row to the Maineiacs, have enjoyed a resurgence of sorts. In five games, St. John’s won four times, and the only loss was on the road, a 1-0 setback to a powerful Moncton team.
“They are a good team,” said Jodoin. “Really, they are playing much better hockey now, and we have to be ready for that.”
The statistics would suggest otherwise. Each of the Fog Devils’ four wins came at home, where the expansion team is a solid 10-4-1 in 15 games. Away from home, St. John’s has been atrocious this season, winning just one game.
But something has to give. Lewiston has been a better road team this season, going 9-5-0-2 as opposed to 5-7-0-2 at home. Only Val d’Or, Rimouski and Baie-Comeau have been worse at home this year.
Jodoin has been happy in recent games with his penalty kill units, and why not? They have produced nearly as many points as the Maineiacs’ power plays.
“We worked on the power play all practice,” said Jodoin. “We have been slipping there, and we need to be better.”
In net, Ilya Ejov was recently named the QMJHL Defensive Player of the Week for the Fog Devils for his work on the recent homestand. He will likely get the start tonight at the Colisee.
BREAKOUT INFO
WHO: Lewiston Maineiacs vs. St. John’s Fog Devils
WHERE: Colisee, Lewiston
WHEN: 7 p.m. tonight
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