VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Bigger, stronger and, well, just as fast.
Such was the competition at the Memorial Cup this week for the Lewiston Maineiacs, who dominated the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season with their speed and finesse.
Just like Plymouth did in the Ontario Hockey League.
Just like Medicine Hat and Vancouver did in the Western Hockey League.
“We have to keep in mind where we’re coming from,” Lewiston head coach Clem Jodoin said. “We battled hard, we did some good things in Lewiston and to represent the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but you have to keep in mind, this is the toughest trophy in hockey to win.”
Tough because the caliber of the teams playing jumps tremendously from anything the players have faced all season. Tough, because each team is used to winning on a regular basis, and being able to shake off the losses.
In Vancouver, at the Memorial Cup, every loss mattered.
“I’m not going to make any excuses,” Jodoin said. “We came close, but coming close in a tournament like this isn’t enough.”
One of the key differences Jodoin found between his squad the the three others entered into the tournament this season was the number of veterans on each team, particularly on the blue line.
“Experience to move the puck is important,” Jodoin said. “Experience to battle for 60 minutes, size is a factor to a point because it’s long tournament, it’s a grinding tournament.”
Three of the eight defensemen who played for Lewiston this season were 17-years-old. Another two were 18.
That bodes well for the team’s future, though.
“This is a young organization that will grow because of this experience,” Jodoin said. “People will be talking about this organization for four or five more years down the road because of what we have done this year.”
jpelletier@sunjournal.com
BREAKOUT INFO
Players eligible to return to the Maineiacs next season
Name Junior age in 2007-08
Jonathan Bernier 19
Peter Delmas 17
Michal Korenko 20*^
Chad Denny 20*
Marc-Andre Crete 20
Tom Michalik 19
Sebastien Piche 19
Kevin Marshall 18
Patrick Cusack 18
Michael Ward 18
Marc-Andre Cliche 20*
Eric Castonguay 20
Stefano Giliati 20
Marc-Andre Daneau 20
Chris Tutalo 20
Stefan Chaput 19
David Perron 19
Jakub Bundil 19^
David Taylor 18
Danick Paquette 17
Alex Beaton 17
* – Likely gone ^ – European
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.