In what people are calling this “new era” of hockey, one in which penalties are more frequently called and the oversized players with suspect speed are being left behind in a cloud of ice chips, there is little surprise at just how much a power play means to a team.
The Lewiston Maineiacs are living, breathing, skating proof that a successful power play unit will ultimately help win games, while shaky play with an extra skater may result in a loss or two – or 10.
“We didn’t capitalize on our power play, and they did that night,” said Maineiacs head coach Clem Jodoin. “It’s up to us. We did work on our power play this week.”
Jodoin said that early last week- before what is fast becoming known as the “St. John’s debacle.” The team to which he was referring? St. John’s, the last time the Fog Devils visited the Colisee.
In the teams’ meeting at the Colisee on Dec. 7, St. John’s had nine chances with an extra skater and scored twice. The Maineiacs had 13 chances, and also scored twice – their only two goals on the night despite 55 shots on goal.
Last Wednesday, the Maineiacs had only one goal on nine chances with an extra skater. The Fog Devils went 4-for-8. Without coincidence, the Fog Devils’ only two road wins against a non-expansion team this season are against Lewiston in those two games, games in which St. John’s went 6-for-17 on the power play while Lewiston went just 3-for-22.
The numbers are mystifying, though, from Lewiston’s perspective. The Maineiacs are seventh overall in the league at 20.3 percent on the power play this season, despite going just 2-for-20 in its two games leading up to Saturday night’s showdown with Cape Breton.
Apparently, though, so goes the power play, so go the Maineiacs. Through Friday night’s win in Halifax, the Maineiacs had scored 85 of their 163 goals on the power play, a clip of 52.1 percent.
“I was looking at last year’s stats, the power plays and the PKs,” said Jodoin. “We have done good things, so now it’s about consistency. For me, a good team is a team that plays with consistency.”
Captain C’
This week, quietly and without fanfare, the Lewiston Maineiacs captaincy changed hands this week. Brandon Roach, who sat out two home games last week due to broken team rules, was also stripped of his letter. Wednesday night, against St. John’s, 18-year-old Marc-Andre Cliche stepped onto the ice to become the third captain in Maineiacs history.
Francis Trudel held the title in his first and only year in Lewiston, and no one wore the C’ last year.
One for the road
After starting the season so well on the road (4-1-1 in six games), Lewiston floundered a bit once it started to get the engines burning at home.
Still, Lewiston has now won three of its five road games since Jan. 1, and took a point in another, an overtime loss to Rouyn-Noranda.
Stat watch
Mathieu Aubin is on the cusp of some significant team records, this still with more than 20 games to play this season.
Aubin set the Maineiacs’ single-season power play goal record with his marker on Wednesday against St. John’s. Through Friday’s action, Aubin had 19 power play goals, one better than Gabriel Balasescu’s 18 from 2003-04.
Also, Aubin is eight points away from passing Alexandre Picard for the most points ever by a Maineiac (165), and nine goals from Picard’s team mark of 79.
Aubin will also break the single-season record for goals in a season with just seven more (Picard had 40 last year), and the single-season record for points, currently held by Alex Bourret, who last year put up 86 points, one better than Picard.
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