LEWISTON – As the Lewiston Maineiacs whipped around the ice Thursday morning, their multi-colored practice jerseys flapped in the breeze.

The players wearing those jerseys took longer to identify than on most mornings, though. The line combinations were different – again.

The Maineiacs welcome two tough opponents to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee this weekend, starting tonight when the league-leading Baie-Comeau Drakkar park their big red bus in the parking lot.

“They have some veteran D, they have good goaltending,” Maineiacs’ coach Ed Harding said. “They’re a skilled team, and they’ll finish their checks, but they’re not a dirty team.”

Baie-Comeau and Lewiston had all the makings of a solid rivalry after the Maineiacs’ first season in the league, but now the teams see each other just twice per season. This will also be the first time in five seasons that the Maineiacs welcome Baie-Comeau when the Drakkar are a solid team near the top of the standings.

“It’s going to be a good barometer for us,” Harding said. “We need to measure ourselves up (tonight) and see if we can play with one of the elite teams.”

Lewiston did measure up to Baie-Comeau last weekend, playing the Drakkar on the road in the third game of a three-in-three road trip. After a solid first period, the Maineiacs unraveled in the second, making a series of mental mistakes that all but put the game out of reach.

“We were a little tired, that’s going to change,” Harding said. “There’s going to be a bit more grit, a little bit more of an edge to them. If you want to see a good hockey game, it’s going to be one (tonight).”

Of course, Baie-Comeau goalie Marco Cousineau also had a hand in the Drakkar’s win.

“Hopefully, Cousineau is not as sharp as he was,” Harding said. “In the first two periods, Cousineau made four unbelievable stops. Ultimately, we could have had four goals. In the third period alone, he made four more. We gave up five, but it could have been a 4-4, 5-4 game. The shots were even.”

And then there was Matt Marquardt. The former Moncton power forward scored three goals for Baie-Comeau in the win.

On Saturday, Lewiston hosts Victoriaville, a team in a very similar position to Lewiston in terms of team depth and age.

“Victoriaville presents a lot of other problems,” Harding said. “They have one kid who’s around the top of the leading scorers and they have a good power play. They brought in the Tanguay kid (Maxime Tanguay from Rimouski), who’s a heck of a hockey player, and they have a good goaltender in (Kevin) Poulin.”

Lewiston starts the weekend in fourth place in the Eastern Division, though just seven points separate the top four teams. Halifax and Saint John are tied at the top with 59, with Cape Breton right behind with 58.