The Ed Harding era is over in Lewiston.

The Lewiston Maineiacs released Harding as head coach and general manager Monday, less than two years after hiring him for those positions.

“It’s not the wins and losses per se,” Maineiacs president and governor Matt McKnight said. “It’s about looking into the players’ eyes. A change needed to happen. It appeared that the players didn’t seem to have any fun coming to the rink anymore. When you’re not having fun playing this game, the wins and losses are going to tell the story. We’ve had some people watch a lot of our games recently, and the comments came back that we played ‘good enough to lose,’ basically, rather than the flip side. It was a change, we needed a breath of fresh air right now.”

The move comes one day after the Maineiacs dropped their third consecutive game, and 10th in their last 11.

On the season, Lewiston is 14-32-0-0, and has more losses already than the team has ever had in one season.

“I knew this was going to be an up and down year; we have a lot of young talent,” team owner and CEO Mark Just said. “Everyone knows I’m not happy when we lose, but more so than that, I was just concerned that the kids weren’t enjoying playing. I didn’t get the vibes they were enjoying it. We have kids that can skate, and it looked like they were more afraid to make a mistake than they were concerned about skating and doing things right. I think Ed may have been too close to the situation to see some of these things.”

Just said Monday after a team meeting that the parting of ways was cordial, and that Harding would always be a part of the Maineiacs’ family.

“He’s a 24-7 guy who couldn’t have been more loyal to me,” Just said. “He couldn’t have worked any harder than he did, and he couldn’t have wanted this team to be more successful. I spoke with (Harding) today for three hours, about how he has a lot of good attributes. I’m very supportive of him, and I know he tried as hard as he could try.”

Harding was still a bit shocked Monday night, but understood Just’s reasoning, and insisted he harbored no ill will toward Just or the Maineiacs.

“Mr. Just and his family and Wendell Young, they gave me a tremendous opportunity,” Harding said. “This community ought to be proud of these young men. There are some good young hockey players in this organization, and the future looks bright.

“I’m leaving here a better person than when I came in,” Harding continued. “I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I need to take a step back for a little while and evaluate the situation, and then make some hard decisions.”

The Maineiacs did not officially name a replacement for Harding, saying only that they would make an announcement Tuesday morning.

Sources close to the team indicate, though, that the Lewiston Maineiacs’ new head coach will be Don MacAdam, a veteran of several professional leagues and teams.

“The Maineiacs cannot confirm nor deny that at this time,” McKnight said Monday.

A native of Morell, Prince Edward Island, MacAdam played two seasons of professional hockey, one in the NAHL with Mohawk Valley in 1973-74, and split time between Greensboro and Winston-Salem in the Southern Hockey League in 1974-75.

He has won a coach of the year award at the university level, a Stanley Cup ring as a member of the Edmonton Oilers organization, a championship in Japan and was selected as one of the “50 Most Interesting People in Charlotte” by Charlotte Magazine when he worked for the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL.

MacAdam has a master’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sports administration. In September 2006, MacAdam was inducted into the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame and “Coaching for Dummies,” the sixth book co-authored by MacAdam, was published in August 2006.

According to team officials, the rest of the Maineiacs’ staff, including assistant coaches John Goyens and Jeff Guay and head scout Roger Shannon will all remain with the organization.

“To be honest, it could have been my job on the line, too,” Guay said. “You look at the record we have. Sooner or later, I guess, it comes back to the head coach. You never want to see anyone lose their jobs, but it was a business decision, and that’s out of my hands.”

Shannon, whom Harding hired to run the team’s scouting department, said he was saddened to hear the news, but was still fully committed to the team and to its players.

Players took the news in stride, many leaving a meeting joking around with each other and laughing.

“I don’t think it comes as a shock to us,” defenseman Patrick Cusack said. “You never want to see a head coach you’ve been with for so long leave, but I think it was necessary for this team and the organization.”

“You never forget the guy that gave you your first shot,” Maineiacs’ forward Marc Bourgeois said. “I was a 10th-rounder, and I’m still here. He gave me that shot.”

The team’s practice from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday will take place as scheduled, and afterward the team will hold a news conference in the Shipyard Lounge to introduce the new coach.