LEWISTON – Danick Paquette’s razzle-dazzle in the shootout against Montreal on Saturday was nothing short of spectacular. The between-the-legs trick shot Paquette used would have fit in well in Montreal, his hometown, that night.

While the Maineiacs were playing one of their better games of the season in Lewiston, the NHL skills competition was well under way at the Bell Center, where a trick shot competition was one of the main highlights.

Paquette said after the game he practiced that shot in practice all the time.

“It’s just a move I like to do,” Paquette said.

When asked if he would have done it even if missing meant the team would lose outright, he quickly responded, “Yes, sure. Why not?”

But one person who sees Paquette in practice every day, Lewiston goalie Peter Delmas, laughed a bit when he heard that Paquette practiced that shot all the time.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that before,” Lewiston goalie Peter Delmas said. “Maybe he’s lying. Who knows. It was a good shot, though, and a good win. That’s all that matters.”

Different moves

Max Gratchev has been predictable on breakaways this season. Skate hard, fake a shot high left, drag the puck to the backhand and lift the puck high glove.

It’s worked, too.

But against Val d’Or and Montreal, the sniper, who leads Lewiston in goals this season, changed things up. He went with a forehand deke Friday, and missed. Then Saturday, he went with a snapper high blocker and connected.

“You have to change things up sometimes,” Gratchev said. “Goalies study these things, too. I never really have one move when I go down on a goalie, I just kind of make it up as I go along.”

Old rivalry

Growing up in greater Halifax, Nova Scotia, Delmas played plenty of hockey.

For New Bedford.

On Saturday, a group of peewees from the greater Halifax area who are on their way to the famous peewee hockey tournament in Quebec this year visited the Lewiston Maineiacs. They will be wearing Lewiston colors and representing the team there.

They’re from Sackville.

“Growing up, those were our biggest rivals,” Delmas said. “But you could hear them all game, even on the ice, they were cheering so loud. It was great to have them there.”

Tighter at the top

For a while, it was crystal clear – Gratchev would, by far, score the most goals for the Maineiacs this season.

But lately, the 20-year-old has some competition.

Paquette, with a hat trick a week ago and a steady stream of goals in the last month, has 23 goals on the season to go with 20 assists.

Gratchev has nine more points (52), but has just one more goal than the 18-year-old captain, chipping in with 24.

Gratchev has also crept into the league’s top 20 in scoring, tying for 20th with Maxime Sauve of Val d’Or.

Yannick Riendeau of Drummondville leads all QMJHL point-getters with 81, followed at 78 by teammate Dany Masse.