LEWISTON – An off-season divisional shift has given the Lewiston Maineiacs shorter, more cost-effective road trips.

For the most part.

The Maineiacs’ team bus shifted gears and rumbled out of the Androscoggin Bank Colisee parking lot Thursday morning at 8 a.m. Next stop: Sydney, Nova Scotia.

The Maineiacs (3-3) will play three games in 2 days in two cities this weekend, with a pair of games against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Friday and Saturday in Sydney and a Sunday matinee in Halifax against the Mooseheads.

The team left Thursday morning and, after a stop for lunch, expected to arrive in Sydney at about 8 p.m.

Cape Breton and Lewiston have competed on similar cycles in recent years. The teams finished 1-2 in the overall standings in 2006-07, and last year faced off in the first round of the playoffs as the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds behind solid defense and surprising goaltending from rookie Olivier Roy, Cape Breton won last year’s playoff series in six games.

“We’re going to have our hands full,” Maineiacs’ coach Ed Harding said. “From what I’ve seen of Cape Breton, they’re a very good transition team … they’ve only lost two defensemen from last year, so they’re very strong back there.”

Roy, still only 17 years old, is once again off to a strong start, and his team has followed suit. The Eagles begin the weekend at 6-1 after a home-heavy schedule to open the season, having scored 33 goals in seven games, including eight on the power play.

“Their special teams still look to be pretty good,” Harding said. “

The Maineiacs, meanwhile, are hoping four days of practice will improve their own sputtering power play, which scored just twice in four home games, both of which came late Sunday in a win over Victoriaville.

“I’m not happy with our power play right now,” Harding said. “On the road it was pretty good, our older, more experienced kids have to be better on the power play, and we have to generate more shots. I think we’re trying to be too fancy and move the puck around the perimeter sometimes, instead of having that killer instinct and putting the puck on net.”

The Maineiacs’ penalty-kill has also been over-used, Harding said, and is a dismal 31-of-42 (73.8 percent).

Things won’t get much easier Sunday in Halifax, either. Fatigue will surely be a factor, and the Mooseheads will benefit from the return of sniper Logan MacMillan, who came back this week from his professional training camp.

Friday and Saturday night’s games will begin at 6 p.m., with Sunday’s matinee scheduled for 3 p.m.