LEWISTON – The word “Halifax” made Jonathan Bernier smile. It looked like he was trying not to, but the Lewiston Maineiacs’ 18-year-old goaltender couldn’t fight it.

Last year, as a 17-year-old starter, Bernier lost his only playoff series to the Mooseheads as the Maineiacs succumbed in six games.

“I still have the sour taste,” Bernier admitted. “And they have nothing to lose this year, too.” The loss still stings.

“Of course, it’s in the back of my mind. I’m sure some of the other guys have it in the back of their minds, too,” Denny said. “It’s playoff hockey.”

In that first-round playoff series in 2006, Lewiston took a 2-1 series lead over Halifax in their 2-3-2 format, only to lose the next three in a row.

Halifax battled to a 5-2 Game 4 win at the old Halifax Forum in front of one of the rowdiest crowds the Maineiacs played in front of all season. The Mooseheads outshot Lewiston 47-19 in that game, and more importantly the Maineiacs lost Jonathan Paiement after a scrum got out of hand at the final buzzer, and Paiement jumped onto the ice to join the fracas.

In Game 5, Lewiston fought back, but fell 2-0 (with an empty-netter) after a stellar performance by nemesis Jeremy Duchesne.

Lewiston fell in six, then, losing 6-5 in heart-breaking fashion to the Mooseheads at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Game 6.

The player who many players saw as instigating the bedlam in Game 4 – Frederik Cabana – scored the game-winner for Halifax with less than four minutes to play in the game.

Duchesne is in Val d’Or now. Cabana is in the AHL with the Philadelphia Phantoms.

“We will have to work hard against them, we know that,” Daneau said. “Last year, they beat us so now we have another chance to prove we can beat them. It’s going to be a good series.”