Chad Denny, one of the original three Maineiacs on the team, hoists the President’s Cup above his head after the team was victorious over Val D’Or in the President’s Cup final in 2007.

Game 1 (1-0-0-0)

The Maineiacs served notice from the beginning of the season that they would be a force to be reckoned with, starting with a 7-1 win over the PEI Rocket to begin the team’s traditional season-opening road trip. Chad Denny scored the first goal of the season with the team shorthanded. Pierre-Luc Faubert scored twice and Eric Castonguay added a goal and two assists. Jonathan Bernier earned his first win of the season, stopping 24 of 25 shots.

Game 2 (1-1-0-0)

This one was nearly the comeback of the season at Moncton. Trailing 5-1 and 6-2 in the second period, the Maineiacs pulled to within one at 6-5 on the strength of Pierre-Luc Faubert’s natural hat trick, two of which came in the first minute of the third frame. An Andrew MacDonald strike proved to be the winner for Moncton, which held on to a 7-6 win.

Games 3-6 (4-2-0-0)

The team’s swing to the Province of Quebec was far better than its brief stay in the Maritimes. The Maineiacs started the four-game swing with a 3-2 win over Quebec. Captain Marc-Andre Cliche scored the winner just 1:20 after Kenzie Sheppard had tied it for the Remparts in the third period. The next night, Cliche capped a two-goal night with an empty-net goal in a 5-3 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Two nights later, fatigue appeared to set in as the Maineiacs fell 5-1 to Baie-Comeau, allowing 20 shots on goal in the first period before settling in. The damage was done, though. The fourth game of the swing saw the team bounce back defensively. Jonathan Bernier recorded his first shutout of the season and Stefano Giliati netted the game-winner just 1:24 into the game in a 2-0 victory. Chad Denny added the empty-net insurance marker in the final minute.

Games 7-11 (7-3-0-1)

The team’s first homestand of the season had some mixed results from the outset. The team was still trying to find a defensive identity, and its showed. Cape Breton swiped a 4-3 win in front of more than 3,100 fans at the Colisee. Marc-Andre Cliche and David Perron each netted their fifth goal of the season in the setback. The next night, Lewiston turned the tables. Chad Denny blasted a shot past Ondrej Pavelec with 23 seconds to play in regulation to lift Lewiston to the win. Pierre-Luc Faubert and Stefano Giliati notched their sixth goals each and Jakub Bundil and Kevin Marshall their first of the season in a 5-1 rout of David Desharnais and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens the following Friday. On Sunday, Lewiston topped Quebec in a rough game, 4-2. Eric Castonguay scored twice on the power play and Denny had the game-winner. The final game of the homestead was against nemesis Moncton. The Wildcats held on for a 2-1 win in a shootout, with Matt Marquardt netting the only goal.

Game 12 (8-3-0-1)

Peter Delmas got his second start of the season — and his second win — as the Maineiacs gave him ample offensive support in a 6-3 win over Saint John. The 16-year-old rookie’s adversary in the other crease? Former Lewiston keeper Max Joyal. Chad Denny, Stefano Giliati and Marc-Andre Cliche scored in the decisive second period to secure the win.

Game 13 (9-3-0-1)

The Maineiacs broke open a tight game early in the third. Simon Courcelles and Eric Castonguay scored in the first five minutes of the final frame to help finish off a 4-1 win over the Victoriaville Tigres at home.

Games 14-15 (10-4-0-1)

The team’s first trip of the season to “the rock,” the Maineiacs split a pair with the St. John’s Fog Devils. In the first game, Danick Paquette and Triston Manson scored goals in the third period to stretch a two-goal lead to a four-goal advantage, and the Maineiacs held on for a 5-2 win. In the second game, the Maineiacs scored three in the second for a 3-0 lead, only to watch the Fog Devils net four in the third to swipe the win. The Devils’ winning goal came shorthanded.

Game 16 (10-4-0-2)

In perhaps the wildest game of the season, Moncton defeated Lewiston in a shootout (again), 9-8. Yes, 9-8. Neither team ever led by more than one, and the longest either team’s lead lasted was 6:08. In a wild finish, Marc-Andre Labelle put the Wildcats on top 7-6 with 4:58 to play in regulation. Marc-Andre Cliche tied the game with 2:29 to play, and David Perron appeared to win the game with 1:47 left on a snipe after a feed from Chris Tutalo. But noted Maineiac killer Matt Marquardt struck with 30 seconds on the clock for his third of the game to send the game into overtime. After a scoreless OT, Jerome Samson scored in the shootout to lift Moncton to the win.

Game 17 (10-5-0-2)

Gassed from the previous game, the Maineiacs laid an egg in Halifax the next night, falling 3-1 to the Moosheads. Peter Delmas suffered the loss in his hometown. Sebastien Piche netted the Maineiacs’ lone goal, his first of the season.

Games 18-30 (23-5-0-2)

This was the first of two very long win streaks on the season, and firmly established the Maineiacs among the league’s elite. During the 13-game streak, Lewiston allowed just 22 goals, fewer than two per game. Nine of the games were at home, much to the delight of the team’s faithful legion of fans. The streak began with a shutout at Cape Breton, in which all three goals came in the third period. Highlights included a 4-3 OT win over Acadie-Bathurst at home.Chad Denny again had the game-winner. A road win in Moncton kept the streak alive on the road, and the team scored 22 goals in the final four games of the streak to post four big wins, the largest of which was a 9-1 win over St. John’s.

Game 31 (23-5-0-3)

The Maineiacs’ unbeaten streak came to an end, but not their point streak. Lewiston fell in a shootout for the third time during the season — all against Moncton. Matt Marquardt scored again in this game against Lewiston, but it was Marc-Andre Labelle with the shootout winner. Stefano Giliati netted his 12th and Simon Courcelles his ninth in the setback.

Game 32 (23-6-0-3)

Coach Clem Jodoin had already left to coach at the World Junior Championships for Team Canada, and this was Jonathan Bernier and Marc-Andre Cliche’s last game with the team before joining him. Rimouski broke open a 2-2 game with the final three goals of the game in a 5-2 Rimouski win.

Game 33: (23-7-0-3)

Acadie-Bathurst took advantage of four of its five power-play chances in this game to post a 6-2 win over the Maineiacs. The highlight in this one was David Perron scoring his 20th goal of the season.

Games 34-42: (31-8-0-3)

The rest of the time coach Clem Jodoin was away for the World Junior Championships was much smoother sailing. The Maineiacs rattled off three wins, including two over future playoff opponents Rouyn-Noranda and Val d’Or. The only loss in the stretch? Against Moncton, of course. The Wildcats always seemed to have the Maineiacs’ number. After that blip, the Maineiacs reeled off five more in a row spanning the Christmas break before a second trip to Newfoundland.

Games 43-45: (32-9-1-3)

After nearly pulling off a comeback in the first of two games in Newfoundland, the Maineiacs managed a 1-1-1 trip against the hard-hitting St. John’s Fog Devils. Despite the loss in Game 1, Simon Courcelles scored twice. Lewiston dominated Game 2, with Stefano Giliati registering the hat trick and Chris Tutalo adding a pair in a 6-1 win. In the third and final game of the series, Peter Delmas took the loss in overtime after Ryan Graham scored on a power play in the extra session. Stefan Chaput had the lone Lewiston goal.

Games 46-47 (33-9-2-3)

A pair of home games here saw the Maineiacs’ offense struggle mightily in the first. Against Shawinigan, Lewiston fired 39 shots at keeper Kevin Maletto, but none found the twine. By contrast, Shawinigan had just 14 shots on goal all game, and scored the lone goal 28 seconds into overtime when Danick Bouchard beat Jonathan Bernier. The next night, Lewiston walloped Saint John 5-2, firing 42 shots on goal in that game. Five different players scored for Lewiston in this one against former Maineiac Travis Fullerton.

Games 48-50 (33-11-2-4)

Known by some as the “Maritime Massacre,” this stretch was particularly worrisome for the Maineiacs. The first game of the trip, at Halifax, saw a flurry of scoring in the second period. The teams combined for four goals in the first six minutes of the period and the Mooseheads took a 4-2 lead. The Maineiacs battled back to tie the game at 4-4, but cringed as both Jonathan Bernier and Peter Delmas went down with injuries. Delmas gutted his out and finished the game, but the team fell in the shootout. The next two games, Delmas started in Cape Breton, but was far from 100 percent. Marc-Andre Sauve debuted as a backup this weekend, but never played. Meanwhile, the team dropped a pair to Cape Breton, another team expected to contend for the title this season.

Games 51-68 (48-14-2-4)

Sixteen-year-old rookie Peter Delmas took center stage for the final stretch run for the Maineiacs. Thrust into action, Delmas, as it turns out, was never operating at 100 percent through this whole stretch. But whatever percentage he was at, he was darn good. Delmas posted 15 wins to reach 17 on the season, tying the QMJHL record for wins by a 16-year-old. His run included three shutouts — two against Moncton. Also during this stretch, the Maineiacs posted wins on the road over future playoff opponents Rouyn-Noranda and Val d’Or. Of particular note on this stretch, as well, was the Maineiacs clinching the best record in the regular season with a win over PEI in the team’s final home game of the season. At a sold-out Colisee, Chris Tutalo netted his 20th goal of the season in the third period to cap a dominant game from Lewiston in a 4-3 win.

Games 69-70 (50-14-2-4)

Jonathan Bernier returned from the shelf to get a few reps in before the playoffs, and helped the Maineiacs close out a 50-win season with a sweep of PEI in Charlottetown. In the season finale, David Perron scored twice to reach 39 on the season. Simon Courcelles scored his 20th, and Eric Castonguay his 27th. Sebastien Piche also started heating up for the playoffs with a pair of goals 19 seconds apart in the third period.

First round of the playoffs, vs. Shawinigan (4-0)

Four was the magic number in this series. The Maineiacs swept the Cataractes in four games. They scored four goals in each of the four games. David Perron had a natural hat trick in Game 1, a 4-2 victory. The Maineiacs came from behind again in the second game, a 4-3 win. Simon Courcelles netted the winner early in the third. On the road, Lewiston handled Shawinigan in Game 3 despite the Cataractes being awarded 10 power plays. Eric Castonguay had the winner. The fourth game went to overtime after yet another Lewiston comeback in the third period. Perron and Marc-Andre Cliche scored in the third — Perron’s coming with 2:31 to play — to force the extra session, and Chris Tutalo scored 1:21 into OT to clinch the series sweep.

Second round of the playoffs, vs. Halifax (8-1)

Perhaps remembered more for the Game 4 that ended the Maineiacs’ hopes for a 16-0 playoff run, this series was actually Lewiston’s best offensive series of the four. In five games, the Maineiacs scored 23 goals, nearly five per game. They made a statement in the opener, shelling the tandem of Roger Kennedy and Mark Yetman with eight goals on 46 shots. Chad Denny had a hat trick and Stefano Giliati added a pair of goals. The Maineiacs added a second win in Game 2, 4-1. Stefan Chaput notched a pair of third period goals to put the game away. As was the norm for the whole playoff run, the Maineiacs then went on the road and closed the series out. What wasn’t normal was a loss. After yet another third-period comeback in game 3, in which Chaput scored two more goals, the Maineiacs suffered their first (and only) loss of the playoffs in Game 4. And they deserved it. Lewiston allowed 55 shots on goal, and even in the overtime loss, Jonathan Bernier was awarded the game’s No. 1 star. In fact, until the 15:27 mark of the third period, Lewiston actually looked like it would pull it out. But Peter-James Corsi scored at that point on a power play to knot the game at 2-2, and Ryan Hillier scored 3:25 into OT to lift Halifax to the win. There would be no repeat performance in Game 5. After a day off, the Maineiacs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and made it 5-0 by the third, thanks to a Simon Courcelles hat trick. The final score was 5-1 in favor of Lewiston.

Third round of the playoffs, vs. Rouyn-Noranda (12-1)

Lewiston made a statement early in this series, holding the Huskies to 17 shots in the opener, a 4-1 Lewiston win. Pierre-Lux Faubert, David Perron, Simon Courcelles and Chad Denny all scored for the Maineiacs, who were faster than Rouyn-Noranda all night, and it showed. In Game 2, the offense again ramped up. This time, it was Faubert’s turn to turn the trick. Four goals in the first 20:55 forced the Huskies into a goaltending change, and that seemed to steady things for them a bit, but the damage was done. Lewiston held on for 7-4 win and a 2-0 series lead. The road games in this series were tougher, given Rouyn-Noranda’s tiny rink and the Huskies’ physical play. The Maineiacs’ stars came to play in Game 3. Faubert, Courcelles, Marc-Andre Cliche and Perron all scored and the team held off a late charge (and a goal by Yannick Riendeau) to win, 4-3. In Game 4, six of the game’s seven goals were scored in the first period. Jake Bundil scored the first goal of the game just 17 seconds into the contest, and Perron netted his 10th of the playoffs with seven seconds to play in the opening frame to cap a 3-3 stanza. Cliche scored at 8:19 of the second, and that was all for the scoring. Rouyn-Noranda had a pair of power plays in the third with a chance to tie the game, but couldn’t beat Bernier.

The Maineiacs’ Kevin Marshall and Val D’or’s Brad Marchand battle for possession during Game 4 of the President’s Cup final in 2007.David Perron of Lewiston battles Kris Letang for a loose puck during the President’s Cup final in 2007.

President’s Cup final series, vs. Val d’Or (16-1)

Lewiston sat and waited for almost a week for this matchup as Val d’Or and Cape Breton battled tooth and nail through seven games in the third round. Val d’Or’s prize for winning? A trip directly to Lewiston for Game 1 of the final. And it showed. The Maineiacs scored twice in the first period on goals from Stefan Chaput and Pierre-Luc Faubert, and twice again in the third (Tutalo, Manson) and Jonathan Bernier made 18 saves on 18 shots for the 4-0 shutout. Lewiston was 2-for-9 on the power play in Game 1. The next night was a much tighter game, and required some late-game theatrics. In a game the Foreurs probably should have won (33-23 in shots, 9-5 PP advantage), Lewiston got a goal from Faubert, his second of the game, with one minute to play in regulation to register the 4-3 win. The goal was a power-play goal, the team’s fourth on five tries in the game, with assists to Chad Denny and Kevin Marshall. Game 3 shifted to Val d’Or and played directly to the Foreurs’ strengths. There were only five total power plays in the game, and the Foreurs had the step for the first two-and-a-half periods. But in the third, Marc-Andre Cliche tied the game at 3-3 9:06 into the frame. Just 1:23 later, Denny blasted a shot past keeper Jeremy Duchesne to give Lewiston its first lead of the game. Faubert buried an empty-netter as time ticked off the clock to seal the win and a 3-0 series lead. The next night, Val d’Or threw everything it had at Lewiston. It was the Foreurs’ last chance to extend the series and avoid sweeping embarrassment at home. That said, for the two periods, the game was essentially in the Maineiacs’ control. David Perron scored twice in 1:05 later in the opening period to push Lewiston to a 2-0 lead. Cliche had assists on both goals. The Maineiacs had plenty of chances in the second to extend the lead, including a pair of power plays, but Duchesne held strong for the home team. In the third, Jerome Samson, traded to Val d’Or midseason from Moncton, scored shorthanded to cut the Maineiacs’ lead in half. Having enjoyed the preponderance of the power plays to that point, all of a sudden, Lewiston had its own parade to the penalty box. Consecutive penalties to Faubert, Michael Ward, Marshall and Chaput gave Val d’Or four consecutive power plays, including extended time on a 5-on-3. But Bernier and the Maineiacs’ PK unit stood strong. Bernier finished with 41 saves on 42 shots and the PK units killed off all six Val d’Or chances as the Maineiacs earned the President’s Cup for the only time in their eight-year run in Lewiston.

Memorial Cup, vs. Vancouver, Plymouth, Medicine Hat, at Vancouver (1-3)

Lewiston’s dream season continued in Game 1 of the Memorial Cup. After falling behind 1-0 in the first period, Eric Castonguay and Sebastien Piche scored in the second, and Stefan Chaput added a third in the third period as the Maineiacs took down Medicine Hat 3-1. The next day, Lewiston took on host Vancouver, and took a 1-0 lead on a David Perron strike at 5:48 of the opening frame. A second Lewiston goal was initially called good, but upon review disallowed as having been “punched in.” That opened the door for some hometown heroics. Kendal McArdle tied the game at 8:52 of the third period for Vancouver, and Wacey Rabbit scored on a pass from Milan Lucic with 4:13 to play to lift the hosts to a 2-1 win. In Game 3, the Maineiacs again had a 1-0 lead, the third time in three games they scored first. This one came from Simon Courcelles. But Evan Brophey had other ideas for the other American team, the Plymouth Whalers. Brophey slipped a shorthanded strike past Jonathan Bernier at 18:48 go the third period to even the game. Andrew Fournier then scored 4:19 into overtime to force the teams into an “if” game two nights later. Tom Sestito had the assist on the game-winner. In that “if” game, three of the Whalers’ future NHL players had all five goals as a staggered Maineiacs team finished the game hobbled by injuries. Already hurting, Bernier couldn’t continue past the first period, and captain Marc-Andre Cliche didn’t even dress. Sestito, James Neal and Evan Brophey staked the Whalers to a 3-0 lead through two periods, and after Courcelles gave the Maineiacs hope early in the third, Sestito and Neal added another each. The Maineiacs’ season came to an end in a 5-1 loss to Plymouth. Vancouver went on to win the Memorial Cup.

Triston Manson holds the President’s Cup over his head after the Maineiacs swept the final round, finishing in Val D’Or 2-1, in 2007.Denise Cloutier, lower right, of Lewiston, her husband Ron, Greg Gilbert, of Turner and his wife Nancy celebrate the Maineiacs win with the crowd at the Ramada Inn in Lewiston in 2007.
Maineiacs head coach Clem Jodoin hoists the President’s Cup above his head after the team got off the bus in Lewiston after driving home from Canada after winning the President’s Cup in 2007.
Marc-Andre Daneau walks past the banner signed by fans with words of encouragement outside the Maineiacs’ locker rooms in Val D’Or during the President’s Cup final in 2007.

Maineiacs fans, including Roger Gagnon, far right waving flag, cheer during Saturday night’s celebration at the Colisee for the team winning the President’s Cup.

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