LEWISTON – Yes, they miss the thunder of a body check against the boards. And sure, they miss the thick sound of blades cutting into ice. But for Lewiston hockey fans who couldn’t make the trip to Halifax Wednesday night, the Shipyard Lounge at the Colisee was a fine alternative.

“It’s different, but I like it,” said 52-year-old Dan Auger, watching the game on a giant screen at the lounge. “At least I get to watch it with the fans.”

When the Maineiacs scored or killed off a power play, the roar among the crowd was deafening.

When the referees made questionable calls, the groans were at least as loud.

For the most part, with the massive screen and a crowd of 100-plus, the atmosphere was similar to that of hockey up close and personal.

Almost.

“You can’t hear the skates on the ice. I miss the sounds of the sticks and pucks,” said 36-year-old Kevin Gagnon. “When you’re at the game, and somebody gets hit, you can feel it. This isn’t bad, though. I’m glad to have a place to watch it.”

The satellite feed was sometimes spotty and on occasion, the signal was lost entirely for several seconds. But the fans at the Colisee enjoyed the ups and downs of a tense fourth game even with their beloved Maineiacs hundreds of miles away.

“We usually sit right next to the Maineiacs’ bench so we miss the intensity of the crowd,” said Bob Chabot. “But this is good. It’s all right.”

The large room, with four smaller televisions surrounding the larger screen like satellites, grew louder as the game wore on. Fans were on their feet when one team or the other had a scoring opportunity. Some diehard fan at the back of the room brought an air horn with him. He used it sparingly, blasting it only in the most nerve-wracking moments.

“It definitely beats listening to it on the radio,” Chabot said.

Several fans over the age of 30 made similar comments. Back in their day, it was either make the trip to the rink or listen to the game on radio, if it was available.

Today, many Maineiacs fans watched the game on their computers at home.

“We have it going on all the computers in the house,” said Gail Tarr, who watched Wednesday night’s game from her Auburn home. When the Maineiacs are at home, Tarr and her husband are typically at the Colisee. “When they are away we listen to the live Web cast and cheer them on from home.”

Others cringe at the idea. Hockey was meant to be about the sights and sounds. In a game filled with collisions and fast action, bigger is better. Louder, too.

“When you watch it on the computer, you have to watch it small,” said Gary Goulet of Lewiston. “You try to blow it up, it gets real blurry.”

The fans at the Shipyard Lounge Wednesday night sacrificed the chance to watch Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch for the first time at Fenway Park. It was worth it, for the most part.

But when the Halifax Mooseheads scored late in the third period, the volume at the lounge dropped significantly. Then, when Moosehead scored the winning goal early in overtime, there were mostly mutters and scowls. Fans rose from their seats and filed out of the building mostly in silence.

The Maineiacs lead the quarterfinals series 3-1 and play again in Halifax Thursday night. If they win, they advance to the semifinals. If they lose, they come back to Lewiston to play the remainder of the series.

It would be good to have the team back home, fans said. But they’d prefer to see them win the series, even if they have to do it on the road.

“I just don’t want to take that chance,” Chabot said. “Let’s get it over with.”