LEWISTON — The Lewiston Maineiacs are far from financial stability, and continue to struggle to pay their bills.

But, for the time being, they don’t appear, at least on the surface, to be going anywhere.

In an e-mail reply Monday afternoon, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League official Karl Jahnke said that none of the league’s 18 teams had applied for relocation, and he didn’t expect any of them would, either.

“We have yet to receive any requests at this time,” Jahnke wrote. “We don’t anticipate any activity this year.”

The soft deadline for QMJHL teams to apply for relocation each season is Jan. 31, and it’s a soft deadline because teams are always allowed to apply for an extension if they feel they need more time to sort out the situation surrounding such an important decision.

But at the Maineiacs’ most recent home game Sunday, Maineiacs’ president and governor Bill Schurman said he didn’t expect the team to file for relocation, nor for an extension.

“In summary, all involved with the Maineiacs — players, staff, volunteers and fans — continue day in and day out to do everything we can to attract enough support for our product to pay our bills,” Schurman wrote in an e-mail to the Sun Journal on Monday. “We are enjoying our second-best on-ice season in franchise history, and we look forward to (Tuesday’s) season ticket-holder appreciation night and preparing for what all believe will be an exciting playoff run.”

In nearly eight seasons in Lewiston since relocating from Sherbrooke, Quebec, the Maineiacs have lost money each season. The team projects losses over eight seasons to be around $4 million.

One place the team is apparently all square, at least according to the building’s owner, is with the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

“We are in good standing financially with one another right now,” Colisee owner Jim Cain said.

Cain, who runs Firland Management, knows that the team’s success is vital to the building’s profits, as well.

“If the figures fall below a certain level, it’s not profitable for us as well,” Cain said. “But more so on their side, for sure. I think the sooner they know about what’s going to happen, if they plan to stay, the sooner we can move forward. The longer they delay means more uncertainty for the sponsors, and for ticket sales.”

The decision isn’t so simple, the Maineiacs say.

“Regardless of how hard volunteers and staff have worked, or how many games we have won, we again are having our challenges generating revenues,” Schurman said in an e-mail Sunday. “This is not anyone’s fault, nor are we pointing fingers. We appreciate every single person who has supported us in any ways they could. I, being responsible for the day to day operation, accept the responsibility for not being able to make ends meet. We are not giving up, nor are we quitting in our goal to make this work here and now.”

Schurman said if anything does change, he plans to be open with the fans, the city and the business community.

“I promised our staff, volunteers, partners, players, the city and the community at large that if our business model changes, that we would share the news with them openly and honestly,” Schurman wrote. “Today, we look forward to season ticket-holders’ appreciation night, Tuesday night at the ABC, as we launch our playoff packages for the 2011 playoffs.”

According to Jahnke, the league will issue a statement Tuesday morning regarding the relocation process, and will disclose publicly any requests received by the league, either for relocation or for an extension to continue negotiations regarding relocation.