Pouring rain be darned.

The Lewiston Maineiacs set out Saturday on a team-building exercise in and around Fredericton as the remnants of Hurricane Earl sent waves of water cascading down on the New Brunswick city.

“We’re at a place called ‘Treego,’” GM Roger Shannon said Saturday. “There are ropes and pulleys, gorges to cross and ledges to climb. It promotes team building and trust.”

Shannon said despite the rain, the session was still on.

Following that experience, the players then went to St. Mary’s First Nation and took part in a ritual known as a Native Sweat. Groups of players together take part in the ritual, performed in sauna-like conditions of 120 degrees. It’s designed to help remove toxins from the body.

“It’s pretty low-key compared to what some other teams do,” Shannon said, “but realizing we’re on a limited budget, the kids really enjoy it and they get to become closer with each other at the same time.”

Meanwhile, the Maineiacs had also indicated earlier in the week that they may announce the team’s captains and assistants Saturday, but Shannon said the team had decided to wait on that announcement. The players and coaches, he said, preferred to maintain the secrecy of the choices until closer to opening day.

Note: Jess Tanguy suffered an upper-body injury in Friday’s game and he is considered day to day.

“We need to get him home and looked at a bit more closely before we can really make a determination,” Shannon said.