The Maine Nordiques made several roster moves, including two involving Lewiston natives, prior to Friday’s game against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs.

Alex Rivet was released by the organization, while Sam Frechette was called up to the NAHL team from the L/A Nordiques of the NA3HL. Rivet and Frechette both played on state championship teams at Lewiston High School.

Rivet, 19, had three goals and five assists in 27 games with the Nordiques this season. Rivet initially joined the organization in March for the L/A Nordiques’ playoff run, recording 10 goals in eight games and helping the team reach the Fraser Cup final.

He was one of the first players to sign a tender with the Maine Nordiques along with another Lewiston native, Cole Ouellette.

Rivet said in a text message Friday that he may be joining a new team in the coming days. As a 2000-born player, he has the remainder of this season and next season of junior hockey eligibility remaining.

“We loved having Alex here,” Maine Nordiques coach Nolan Howe said. “Unfortunately, it was a numbers game. We brought in some wingers, Timmy Kent came in, Ignat (Belov) came in, we have been real happy with some of the guys called up from (the Maine Nordiques Development Progam U18 team). For us, it’s our job to put these men in a position to be successful. We felt releasing Alex would allow him an opportunity to go somewhere to find more playing time.”

The 18-year-old Frechette has 14 goals and 21 assists in 27 games with the L/A Nordiques this season, which ranks sixth on the team in scoring. Prior to Friday he had appeared in six games with the Maine Nordiques, recording no points.

Frechette stepped into the lineup Friday for Caden Pattison.

“Frechette came in, did a nice job for us. Pattison got suspended for the extra game for his fight in Johnstown (on Tuesday night),” Howe said after Friday’s 5-4 loss to Fairbanks. “Again, that’s our organizational depth. Whether its guys from the NA3HL or MNDP, our (affiliate players), they have been able to come in and do a good job for us.”

Other players released from the NAHL roster were forwards Gabe Dombrowski, Simon Ellingson, Tim Manning, and goaltenders Brody Haynes, Brogan McDonald and Nick Beck. Dombrowski and Haynes have been primarily with the Maine Nordiques Development Program U18 this season. Manning joined the team for two games Thanksgiving week and has been playing the season with Holderness School in Holderness, New Hampshire.

McDonald, a Gorham native, told the Sun Journal he’s being sent down to the L/A Nordiques. Beck left the organization in December to join the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Canadian Hockey League.

THUNDER PLAYERS COMMIT

The holiday season was busy for the Twin City Thunder as two of the organization’s National Collegiate Development Conference team players, Zach Egber and James “Fisher” Shea, made their college plans.

Egber will be suiting up Stevenson University in Stevenson, Maryland. He has a goal and four assists in 18 games with the Thunder this season, but has been injured since November.  The Stevenson Mustangs of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference are currently 9-1 and are the No. 12 team in the most recent United States College Hockey Online’s Division III Top 15 poll.

“I am sure it’s a big weight off his shoulders, especially being injured and not having that certainty,” Thunder coach Doug Friedman said. “I know Stevenson has seen him play, and they know what they are getting from Zach and all the positives he can bring to a team.”

Shea will be playing at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Since joining the Thunder early in the season after starting the 2019-20 campaign with the Jamestown Rebels of the NAHL, Shea has four goals and nine assists in 20 games with Twin City. The Jumbos play in the NESCAC and are currently 4-7.

Friedman said Shea has remained focused while waiting for his acceptance letter, which came right before Christmas.

“I think he has been going about business everyday, trying to get better on and off the ice, getting bigger and stronger — he has learned as much as he can since he first joined us to now,” Friedman said. “He has earned a spot on the power play. So I think he has been focused on the hockey piece and not too concerned about the (finalization of the admittance process).”

WAHLSTROM, U.S. FALL IN QUARTERS

Team USA’s Americans quest for gold at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s U-20 World Junior Championship came to an end Thursday as the Americans lost 1-0 to Finland in the quarterfinal round in Trinec, Czech Republic.

The loss snaps a four-year medal streak for USA. Finland defeated USA last year in the gold medal game.

Yarmouth-born Oliver Wahlstrom had a goal and four assists in five games in the tournament, which tied fourth on Team USA. Wahlstrom will return to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders.

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