By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Sunday was no ordinary start as far as Brandon Verge was concerned.

The former Lewiston Maineiac goaltender not only wanted to prove himself one last time against his former team, but also do it in the Colisee.

“It was kind of an emotional game because I knew it was going to be my last time playing here,” said the 20-year old St. John’s goalie. “I wanted to come out and make my last trip here a good one. For me, I think I played pretty well, but it would have been nice to get the win.”

Verge and his Fog Devils lost 4-1, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort by Verge.

The netminder faced 41 shots and was solid in goal for much of the game, protecting an early 1-0 lead.

Lewiston’s offense picked up the pace late in the second period and finally got one past Verge with a power play goal. The Maineiacs put two more by him in the third period and added an empty-net tally. Verge finished with 38 saves while getting little offensive support.

St. John’s managed just 20 shots on goal, including just nine over the first two periods.

“Every time I play them it’s like I have a point to prove,” said Verge, who was a goaltender during the Maineiacs inaugural season but was traded to Chicoutimi the following year, when Lewiston drafted current goaltender Jonathan Bernier and departed goalie Jaroslav Halak. “I want to come out with my best every single time I face those guys. It’s like everyone else, but I think there’s a little extra when I face those guys.”

Entering Sunday’s matchup, Verge had played 35 games for St. John’s and gone 11-18-0 with a 3.81 goals against average and a save percentage of .891.

“There’s has been a lot of ups and downs,” said Verge, who expects to play college hockey next year in his native Halifax. “I was out for a month with mononucleosis. That was hard to take, especially my last season.”

Playing with the expansion Fog Devils was a little different than playing in Chicoutimi last year, but St. John’s has managed to do well and earn a playoff spot.

“Things are going really well,” he said. “This team has exceeded expectations. We secured a playoff spot and not just any playoff spot. We finished ahead of PEI and Saint John, the other expansion team. We’ve got to be happy with that.”

Though it wasn’t the outcome he wanted, it was still a meaningful afternoon and a fine display in what could be his final outing against his former team.

“Everytime I come back to Lewiston, it brings back a lot of memories,” said Verge. “I had a lot of fun here and had a lot of good times. I met a lot of really good people that I still stay in touch with. So, it’s always fun to come back.”