Pat Lebel and his wife, Colleen, wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

J.P. Doyon hadn’t a doubt in his mind.

And Sheila Blanchette?

She feels more like a tour guide this week than anything, helping a slew of Eskasoni, Nova Scotia natives navigate the Pacific Coliseum and the city of Vancouver.

But every single one of them, regardless of financial or occupational restrictions, joined another 50 to 100 Lewiston Maineiacs’ fans on a trek to the west coast this week to support the Maineiacs at the Memorial Cup tournament.

“There was about this much of a chance (we weren’t coming),” Pat Lebel said, holding his fingers slightly apart. “There a lot of us out here, probably close to 100 if you count parents and families of players.”

During games, chants of “Let’s go, Maineiacs” have echoed across the arena during some lulls in the booming music. Doyon, with his seat behind one of the nets, has rattled the glass and cheered with every Lewiston goal. After scoring a goal in the Maineiacs’ first game, Sebastien Piche sprinted immediately to the glass below the seats where most of the Maineiacs’ fans are seated, Section 28.

NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY

The Plymouth Whalers and Medicine Hat Tigers were fined $500 Tuesday for actions which were” not consistent with the expected deportment of players” during the tournament, the Canadian Hockey League announced.

The Tigers won the game, 4-1.

Several penalties were handed out in the latter stages of the game, though, as many small scrums erputed as the Whalers got closer and closer to their second defeat of the tournament.

Plymouth had four players in double-digit penalty minutes prior to its game of the tournament against Lewiston. By contrast, the Maineiacs’ leaders — Michal Korenko and Sebastien Piche — each had just four minutes.

Medicine Hat will face Vancouver in the round-robin finale tonight.

FEELING AT HOME

The Maineiacs have enjoyed a few constants while playing more than 3,000 miles from home this week. For starters, the team has had its own locker room compund in the cavernous hallways beneath the Pacific Coliseum.

The Maineiacs were also the home team in the first two games they played, wearing their white sweaters and enjoying the last change against Vancouver and Medicine Hat.

The team has also used the same bench for all three game to this point in the tournament, allowing the players to get used to changing on the fly from the same place each time.