Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

At the end of high school, many of us will remember those funny little things we used to put into yearbooks called senior superlatives.

Johnny and Judy were the class couple. Nelson Nerd and Beth Bookworm were most likely to succeed, and John Jock and Cathy Cheerleader were the most athletic.

But what about this year’s edition of the Maineiacs? From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, there has never been a year quite like this in the short tenure of this QMJHL franchise.

Here I submit a list of some of my superlatives from the year that was in Maineiacs’ history:

Favorite story – There really isn’t much of a contest here. While getting to Vancouver was a bit of a headache, being there was nothing less than spectacular. The Maineiacs earned their way there in just 17 games, and though they didn’t exactly shoot the lights out at the venerable Pacific Coliseum, the atmosphere, the ambiance and the overall experience was well worth the trip for everyone involved.

Favorite game – It’s hard to pinpoint one single game when you’ve seen so many, but I think I’m going to go with Game 3 of the President’s Cup final in Val d’Or. How can I not say Game 4? Easily. Game 4 takes the cake for best celebration, but Game 3 made Game 4 possible. The Maineiacs faced the most hostile crowd of any in the playoffs for the first time, and they entered the third period trailing by a goal, 3-2.

Captain Marc-Andre Cliche tied the game in the 10th minute, and less than two minutes after that, Chad Denny finished a give-and-go with Stefano Giliati to give Lewiston the lead.

The crowd went dead. Val d’Or goalie Jeremy Duchesne’s shoulders slouched.

And at that moment, Lewiston won the series, at least in the mental sense.

Favorite player to interview – If Simon Courcelles never becomes a hockey coach someday, the world will be short one really good bench boss. Courcelles, acquired realtively cheaply in a trade with the Quebec Remparts during the preseason, was a talker. He was a leader. He’d been there before, and he knew how to speak, not necessarily in coach-speak, but in a way that he could relate to the people who would ultimately read what he said.

Player of the year – This one is tough, but I have to give deference to the player who wore the ‘C’ longer than any other player in Lewiston history, Marc-Andre Cliche. He earned the letter late in his 18-year-old season, and was the consummate leader on and off the ice. Nowhere was that more evident than at the Memorial Cup. Without Cliche, the team limped home. His presence alone was a stabilizing factor, and he was one of the biggest reasons the team won the way that it did. Add to that, of course, a gold medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships, and you’ve got yourself one decorated player.

Biggest surprise – How about the fact that Lewiston earned the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, and rattled off win after win, without its No. 1 goaltender?

When Jonathan Bernier rolled his ankle in Halifax, and when the Maineiacs’ faithful heard that it might be four to six weeks before they saw him again, I know more than a few were pressing anything around them that resembled a panic button.

Secretly, I bet the coaching staff was, too, just a little.

But Peter Delmas, a 16-year-old rookie, stepped in and earned, by the end of the season, as many wins as Bernier. He was calm under pressure, and gracious when he was told he would be the backup in the playoffs, despite being a very big reason the team was there to begin with.

Close on this one was David Perron sticking with the St. Louis Blues. Great for him, bummer for Lewiston. But still a big surprise.

Most telling moment – There will never be another moment quite like the one I witnessed at the team’s final home practice. Most of the players had already left the ice. In fact, just Perron, who was a notoriously diligent player in terms of practice, remained. As Clem Jodoin skated toward the corner exit, he slowed to a stop. He turned back toward the ice and did a short loop. He looked around, as if there were people watching him.

But there was no one.

He smiled.

Following the team’s trip to Vancouver for the Memorial Cup tournament, Jodoin resigned to take a position in French-speaking Rimouski. He’d known all along. But at that moment, that one fleeting moment on Colisee ice, he knew, without a doubt, he’d always be a part of hockey history in Lewiston.

Favorite Mark Just moment – Lewiston majority owner Mark Just is known for being a bit uneasy when it comes to his team’s play. He gets excited very easily, and he also gets nervous.

But in Val d’Or, before Game 4 was over, Just retreated into the team’s locker room. He was having a hard time watching. With less than one minute to play in the third period of Game 4, players near the bench who hadn’t played in that game had to go get Just in the locker room so he could participate in the on-ice celebration.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Enjoy the memories.