Top trio

If familiarity breeds success, one of the Lewiston Maineiacs’ top lines is going to be finding a lot of that in the coming weeks.

The intent to begin the hockey season was to put Matthew Bissonnette, Stefan Fournier and Michael Chaput together on a line. They all played midget hockey together for the Lac St. Louis Lions. In two separate deals last season, the Maineiacs acquired Fournier and Bissonnette after already having drafted Chaput.

But after Chaput spent some time with Philadelphia, Bissonnette was injured and required a long rehab stint. Even when he returned to action, it took a while for the forward to get back up to full speed.

This week, Maineiacs’ coach J.F. Houle intended to reunite the trio. This time, Fournier fell ill. He subbed Kirill Kabanov in Fournier’s place, and the Russian fit in well, so he went with that line to start again Friday.

By the third period, though, Houle reunited them. Thirty-one seconds in, they scored a goal.

“They’re used to playing together, for sure,” Houle said. “But whoever plays with that line is probably going to produce. Those guys have it going right now.”

“We heard the coaches talking, and when they said ‘Fournier,’ we all got a little excited,” Bissonnette said. “The chemistry is there. We’ve known each other since we were 7 or 8 years old. Last year, we had some chemistry together, and we put up some points, and hopefully now we’ll gel back together and help the team win.

Biz is back

Speaking of Bissonnette, his road back from a wrist injury was slow at first, but has picked up in recent weeks.

“The injury really set him back, and it’s tough to stay in shape when you’re injured,” Houle said. “Darren Rumble has been on his case about getting on the bike and doing extra work, and so far it’s working out pretty good.”

Bissonnette said this week he feels much faster and stronger now than he did a month ago.

“Coming back from an injury, it wasn’t easy,” Bissonnette said. “I was out of shape for the first two or three weeks, and at Christmastime, the coaches really cracked down on me. Since I’ve been back, every day, all week, I’m on the bike after practice and after games. I can feel it out on the ice, I have a lot more energy, and I can go a lot longer.”

Scoring touch

The Maineiacs have, since they’ve existed, been known primarily for their strong defense. Still strong on the blue line, the team is on the verge of earning the label of offensive juggernaut.

In each of the team’s past nine games, Lewiston has scored four or more goals. The Maineiacs have score five or more in seven of the past eight, and on the season have scored five or more goals 16 times in 43 games.

Lewiston’s 158 total goals scored this season is fourth-best in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.