LEWISTON – Chad Denny had played forward before, but seeing him play that position on regular shifts Sunday was jarring for some Lewiston Maineiacs fans.
The shock turned to joy as 3,550 fans at the Colisee watch Denny tally his first career QMJHL hat trick, leading the team to a regular-season-ending 7-1 win over the Victoriaville Tigres.
“I played forward from novice up to Bantam AAA,” said Denny. “In Midget AAA tryouts the coach asked me to play defense, and last season and this season I played there, too, so this is my third year playing defense.”
The three goals were all distinctly different, but each drew the same reaction from the crowd.
“I hit the post on one, then the slapshot went in on the first one,” said Denny. “The second came on a breakaway, and the third was a wrap-around. That last one, I just dumped it into the corner and the defense came with me. I took the puck and gave it to (Olivier) Legault in front of the net and he tried to stuff it home. It stayed sitting right next to the post, so I took it around and scored.”
Denny’s final goal, at 8:15 of the third, put the final nail in the Tigres’ coffin and the finishing touches on what was then a 7-0 lead, a comfortable margin that came at no cost injury-wise or suspension-wise to a team already with eight regular players out of the lineup.
“There was nothing stupid, we just kept it simple,” said Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin. “That’s probably what we are going to have to do in the playoffs, too. I think it’s going to be the same lineup we are going to have against Shawinigan.”
The team will indeed face Shawinigan in the first round, which was the least likely of all scenarios to start the day of play. The Maineiacs vaulted Drummondville after the Voltigeurs blew a 4-2 lead and lost to Quebec 6-4. Then in 10th, Lewiston knew it would face Cape Breton, Rouyn-Noranda or Shawinigan. A Cape Breton tie left the Screaming Eagles one point shy of the No. 7 position, and a Rouyn-Noranda win coupled with a Shawinigan loss vaulted the Huskies into the third overall position by way of winning the Western divisional crown.
“There were so many possibilities starting the day,” said Jodoin. “We could have gone to Cape Breton, to Rouyn-Noranda, to Moncton to Quebec and to Shawinigan.”
Shawinigan (282 miles) was the second-shortest alternative among the five cities, behind Quebec (252 miles). That alone, according to Jodoin, will make a difference.
“Traveling takes a lot of energy,” said Jodoin. “I think it’s worse than staying 12 hours on a bus than playing a regular game.”
The Maineiacs’ regular game Sunday was a treat for the near-capacity crowd, as the players remained on the ice following the game to present 20 different randomly-selected fans with game-used hockey sticks, and to thank the fans for their support this season. Denny received the most cheers as he was announced. Despite his stellar game at the forward position, there is little doubt that he will return to the blue line soon.
“He’s going to stay at defense,” said Jodoin with a snicker. “He might play at forward again against Shawinigan on Friday depending on who has a chance to come back, because we are still thin.”
Also overshadowed by the final score was another solid performance from Jaroslav Halak. The Maineiacs’ No. 1 netminder stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced, and appears to be in top form heading into the playoffs.
“I don’t know. I just try to stop the puck,” said Halak, who then started to scowl at the mention of the one goal that got by him. “One went in, so I am still disappointed a little, but we still got the win.”
“Jaroslav Halak is a great goalie,” said Jodoin. “He’s a good goalie, and he was solid, very, very solid.”
Denny, Alex Bourret, Stefan Chaput and Eric Castonguay all scored goals in the first 12 minutes of play, chasing starting netminder Brant Miller after just five shots.
“Miller was not good to start the game,” said Victoriaville coach Stephane Lebeau. “He had a bad start, and the game was almost over at that point.”
The Tigres had tried giving regular starter Josh Tordjman a rest before the start of the playoffs, but instead had to use him in place of Miller for a period and a half.
Tordjman allowed goals to Jonathan Paiement and Denny in the second period as the Maineiacs built a 6-0 lead, and the team went back to Miller to finish the game. Nicolas Laplante foiled Halak’s shutout bid at 14:17 of the third with a breakaway goal, but the Maineacs cruised to the win.
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