Stephen Woodworth was understandedly disappointed in September when the Lewiston Maineiacs sent him packing from training camp as one of the final defensive cuts.

Instead of sulking, Woodworth returned to his midget squad, intent on returning to the team sooner rather than later.

His mission may have been accomplished.

“He played very, very solid for us all week,” Lewiston coach Don MacAdam said of Woodworth, whom the Maineiacs called in this week to help fill in on the blue line. “He didn’t have any points (Saturday), but he didn’t get scored against. He was very steady, especially for a 16-year-old.”

MacAdam has already said that due to educational commitments and team commitments, Woodworth will return to his lower-level team through the holidays, but he left wide open the possibility that the young blueliner may join the team for the second half of the season.

“We have a number of scenarios right now, but it wouldn’t hurt us at all to have him stay on,” MacAdam said. “He’s just solid.”

Sick and injured

The Maineiacs were happy to have Woodworth this week, too, to help shore up the blue line.

Defenseman Eric Bonawitz left the squad Saturday and returned to Maine with flu-like symptoms, while Finnish defender Riku Dufva also returned home with a hip problem.

“With Eric, I think we had to take the precautions we did,” MacAdam said. “We’re in such tight quarters, especially on the road, and even right now we’re on a four-hour ride to Halifax, and we can’t have anything contagious kicking around the bus.”

The team rented a car and a team assistant drove Bonawitz to Saint John, where his mother picked him up for the remainder of the ride.

Meanwhile, Dufva is also on the shelf, his an issue with a preexisting condition.

“The doctor in Moncton recommended that the team’s doctor take a better look at it,” MacAdam said. “He needs to get an MRI to determine the severity of the issue in his hip.”

Tossing teddy bears

The Lewiston Maineiacs have scheduled their annual teddy toss for Sunday, December 13. The program benefits local cahities, and asks fans in attendance at the game to shower stuffed toys onto the ice when the Maineiacs score their first goal of the game.

The event traditionally takes place at the final home game before the holiday break, which this season is a Sunday matinee tilt at the Colisee against the Screaming Eagles of Cape Breton.