LEWISTON – The P.E.I. Rocket and Lewiston Maineiacs may be brothers in a sense. The teams were relocated to anglophile cities from Quebec in the same year.
Brothers, maybe. Twins? Not even close.
In the three years since the move, the Rocket have had just one winning season immediately following the move from the team’s stay in Montreal. Lewiston, meanwhile, has had two winning seasons and is on the cusp of a third.
These two siblings will meet for the fifth time this afternoon, with Lewiston holding a 4-0 edge in the four previous games.
The Maineiacs have scored 21 goals to the Rockets’ nine in that span this season, and the Maineiacs’ recently anemic power play is clicking at a whopping 31 percent. The Maineiacs penalty kill has even scored twice.
Individually, the Rockets’ return might have meant the return to Colisee ice of former Maineiacs defenseman Travis Mealy, but the 20-year-old from Manitoba will still be serving a five-game suspension he received in a recent game for firing the puck at an official.
Back in the tank
That anemic power play is causing mild concern with the coaches.
“At times, we’re looking for the picture-perfect shot,” said Maineiacs assistant coach Jeff Guay. “When our power play was clicking, there were a lot of picture-perfect goals, but sometimes you just have to get it toward the net.”
Since Feb. 11, the Maineiacs’ power play is a dismal 4-for-44 (9 percent).
“I think we’re taking shifts that are too long, too,” said Guay. “They (the first PP unit) should be going out there three times. I think they should be going out three times. They have to be a little bit smarter in those situations.”
New rules
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League adopted some adjustments to some key rules this week at Semi-Annual Assembly of the Board of Governors and General Managers in Quebec.
The first and most significant of these changes calls for video reply in all of the playoff games this season, and the league will supply a fourth official for the game with the specific responsibility to review any necessary plays.
Other changes include dropping the number of rounds in the league’s entry draft from 15 to 12, and dropping the number of invitees to teams’ training camps from 75 to 70.
Teams will also have a smaller protected list, 50 instead of 55, and the league has also added an extra waver period for 19-year-old to commence the week after Labor Day.
Following each season, teams will now be allowed to hold a short development camp and invite members of their protected list. This will allow teams to see their protected players on time following a season and, more importantly, before the draft in June.
One major draft rule has also been added, one that will award a compensatory pick to any team whose first round pick refuses to show up. The extra pick will be at the end of the second round of the following year’s draft.
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