If you follow the QMJHL at all last year, you know the Lewiston Maineiacs had issues on and off the ice. What they did this weekend surprised everyone except the Maineiacs. They came back from a 3-0 deficit to the Drummondville Voltigeurs to win 5-4. This is the same Drummondville team that outscored Lewiston in the first round of the playoffs 39-8.
Sunday they defeated the Quebec Remparts 5-2 in a game that both teams circled. Quebec has four former Maineiacs’ players.
“We gave them momentum, they didn’t take it, we gave them the momentum,” said Drummondville’s head coach Mario Duhamel. “This year Lewiston is working very hard and we saw that since the beginning of the season. When we took the lead 3-0, maybe on our side it would be 11-1. They (Lewiston) deserved it.
In the other locker room the attitude has changed from last year.
“It’s the attitude, it’s the leaders, it’s everything,” said Maineiacs’ forward Alexander Beaton. “When we went in the room down, 3-1, everyone believed we would comeback.”
Patrick Roy had to pull Peter Delmas midway through the second after letting four goals in.
“It’s pretty simple,” Roy stated after the game on Sunday. “Peter has no confidence; it’s a matter of building confidence. When he’s not confident, he’s not playing well and he’s not making the big save. He’s improving and he’s been working on things to improve his game.”
Roy is probably wishing he hadn’t cut Adrien Lemay back in 2006-2007, Lemay now backstops Lewiston. This season Lemay is 6-2 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
Delmas has a 2-2 record with a 3.39 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage in five games.
The Maineiacs’ average age is 17.63 and Quebec’s is 18.31. Lewiston in the youngest team in the league and Quebec is the oldest.
I never seen a team so emotionally pumped for a game than the Maineiacs were for Sunday’s game.
