With hockey fans in greater Lewiston-Auburn lamenting the apparent loss of the Lewiston Maineiacs, another opportunity has surfaced for the cities and for the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

David MacDonald, managing director of the Hometown Hockey Initiative, said Monday that his group has entered into an agreement with the Charlottetown Abbies of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League to purchase the team and relocate it to Lewiston, pending the Maineiacs’ departure and a vote by that league’s board of governors.

“We’ve been working hard on it for a while,” MacDonald said. “We’re not quite sure what the status of the Maineiacs is at this point. All indications are that they’re going to move, but we have to wait for official word before we can do anything else.”

Given the pending nature of the Maineiacs’ plans (they announced their intention to relocate on Jan. 31), Colisee owner and President of Firland Management Jim Cain said Monday that he cannot comment on anything at this time.

MacDonald, meanwhile, stressed his commitment to grass-roots hockey, and to the power of the fans.

“One of the biggest pieces of our initiative is to give the fans the power to decide on matters of importance, right down to any future relocation of the club,” MacDonald said. “The fans will have opportunities to become common shareholders in the team, or preferred shareholders. The way we have it structured is that any of the owners would only be able to own up to 40 percent of the team. Any of the fans would be welcome to own any or all of the remaining 60 percent, this way people will feel that they have a say in any decision like this. I know the people of Lewiston don’t want to be in this position again, regarding relocation.”

To own preferred shares in the club, one must live within 60 miles of Lewiston and be a passionate hockey fan. Other benefits to the Preferred Shareholders would be the ability to receive discounts on certain events and merchandise and to receive a special newsletter that includes “insider information” on the team.

“I am keenly aware of the bad taste left in people’s mouth after the recent decision of the Maineiacs,” MacDonald said. “I cannot understand how someone could just walk away from the Lewiston fans, especially after they have invested the type of money, energy and volunteer hours that they have over the past five years to support that team. Following the current situation, it has been decided that in order to regain the trust of the residents of the region and the surrounding area, we must not ever again allow that to happen. This was an important feature to our business model.”

MacDonald said other, local investors are already on the radar, and have been in touch.

“There will be some local involvement, as well, and we’ll roll that out soon, too,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald has already hired a program administrator, a person who will be familiar to many local hockey fans.

DeeDee Record, formerly the administrative assistant with the Lewiston Maineiacs, was announced Monday as the club’s program administrator.

“We recognize that her involvement will be very important as we work through the process of arranging agreements between Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and other sport governing bodies, immigration, and other important matters to ensure success, and the viability of our team,” MacDonald said. “Her long-term involvement will be a key success factor of our club”.

Lewiston connection

MacDonald isn’t a stranger to Lewiston, or to hockey. His son, John, spent three weeks in Lewiston at the Maineiacs’ training camp two years ago.

“We were here during the balloon festival,” the elder MacDonald said. “I met some great people here while we were down for those three weeks, spending a lot of that time in the rink, and I’ve been to a number of games since.”

MacDonald also has come to Lewiston to watch his other son, Brad, play for Victoriaville. He was in the rink the night the Maineiacs announced their plans to relocate.

“That night, I sat back and saw 2,800 fans in the building, and I knew that the Maritime Junior A League would be the perfect product for them. The fans I saw weren’t necessarily just Quebec Major Junior League fans, they were hockey fans.”

Not quite the same

The MJAHL is a league for players in the same age range – 16 to 20 – as the QMJHL, but the rules are slightly different.

The first big difference is NCAA eligibility. The players who skate for a team in the MJAHL retain their NCA eligibility, making the league a preferred destination for high-end Atlantic Canadian hockey players who want to pursue the NCAA route.

Another major difference is the age restrictions. Instead of three 20-year-old skaters per team, like in the QMJHL, the MJAHL allows squads to carry as many as seven 20-year-old skaters, and instead of allowing five 16-year-olds, MJAHL clubs can only have two.

“It’s a good pace of hockey, and it’s a bit tougher than the Q is,” MacDonald said. “It’s a fast-paced game.”

Former Lewiston Maineiac and Auburn native Colby Gilbert skated in the league during his 20-year-old season for the Antigonish Bulldogs, which are now a team based out of Halifax. Former Lewiston goalie Kirk Rafuse skates in this league, as does Brett Gallant, who came to the Maineiacs’ training camp this season before returning to Summerside of the MJAHL.

Former Maineiacs’ enforcer Triston Manson’s brother, Anton, also skates in the MJAHL.

“All that’s left on our end, if the Maineiacs do decide to move, is to get approval from our board of governors,” MacDonald said. “I’ve spoken with all but one of them about this, and most of them appear to have an open mind about going to Lewiston.”

The Maineiacs are expected to announce a decision in the coming weeks, and MacDonald said the MJAHL board of governors are likely to vote on that team’s potential relocation in mid-March.

Breakout info

For more information on the Maritime Junior A Hockey League, visit the league’s Web site at www.MJAHL.com.

For more information on David MacDonald’s group, and their efforts to relocate to Lewiston, visit www.hometownhockeyinitiative.com, or www.maine-hockey.com.