LEWISTON – Tristan Manson was simply trying to be a peacekeeper.

The bruising Lewiston Maineiacs forward was sent on the ice late in Friday’s game to make sure people behaved, but Manson couldn’t help but stir things up just a tad.

It came moments after Val-d’Or’s Brad Marchand clobbered Lewiston’s Sebastien Piche, leaving him sprawled face-down at center ice.

“They took a run at Piche, and we didn’t want anyone else to get taken out like that,” said Manson. “So I just went out to calm things down. If they’re going to take a run at me, they’re going to pay for it.”

Of course, putting Manson in action during an emotional time like that is a bit like tossing more gasoline on the fire. Manson literally crashed the net and scored a goal to make it 4-0.

“I wasn’t expecting to score,” Manson said. “We were on the power play. We had a shot, and I just put in a shot. It barely went it, but it went in.”

It was his first goal of the playoffs and fourth of the season. As if that wasn’t enough, Manson started a scrum in the goalmouth immediately following the goal. He picked up a goal and a minor penalty at 19:02 of the period.

For a tough guy like Manson, a goal and a penalty in the same instant is a perfect compliment. The only thing lacking was a chance to drop the gloves, something he hasn’t done in awhile.

“A goal and a fight would have been awesome,” said Manson.

As for Piche, he was helped off the ice and was obviously dazed. Piche was out with a concussion during the Shawinigan series and missed time against Halifax as a result.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” said Lewiston coach Clem Jodoin of Piche’s status. “It’s too early to say what’s going to happen.”

Road Trip

Rene Houle and Ronald Secours were among a handful of Foreurs faithful to make the 12-hour trek from Val-D’Or for the first two games of the series.

“It’s the finals,” said Houle. “It should be a great series. It’s going to be a long series.”

The two decided to make the trip after their team beat Cape Breton earlier in the week. They said the club has been on a mission of late since goaltender Jeremy Duchesne lost his father more than a month ago.

“Our goalie, his father passed away, so that’s really shook the team,” said Secours. “They’ve been trying to win for him.”

Duchesne has been pivotal during the playoffs, especially against Cape Breton.

“It was amazing,” said Houle. “The players played well, but he made a huge difference.”

Duchesne entered Friday’s game with 10 wins while maintaining a 2.73 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. It is the second time in the President’s Cup for Duchense, who played for Halifax in 2005.

Moment of silence

Prior to Friday’s President’s Cup opener, there was a moment of silence for former St. Dom’s hockey coach Bob Boucher. The 55-year old Boucher died last week following a heart attack while vacationing in Florida. Boucher coached the Saints for 25 seasons and won five state titles.

During the first intermission, former players and Boucher’s brothers were on the ice to play a game of Bocci Hockey. Boucher was an avid Bocci player, and the participants attempted to see who could get the puck furthest inside the center ice circle.

Webcasting

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and TELUS announced a partnership to Webcast all the QMJHL games on telus.com/qmjhl. This exclusive five-year agreement allows fans to watch all 630 games of the 2007-2008 season, including the playoffs, live on the Internet.

“TELUS and the QMJHL have been working together for the last four years. It seemed only natural for us to combine our resources for the benefit of our Quebec fans, and for our fans all over the world,” Gilles Courteau, the Commissioner of the QMJHL, said in a statement. “Fans, friends and family will now be able to keep track of their favorite teams, whether they are playing at home or away.”

The Webcast began Friday night with the broadcast of the first game of the President’s Cup series.

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