The Maine Nordiques are looking for winners, and that’s what new coach and general manager Nick Skerlick was on the lookout for Monday during the team’s 3-on-3 tournament.

“I think the purpose of the 3-on-3 today is we are trying to create a tournament culture with winning,” Skerlick said. “The losing teams today are going to be helping us with the facility. There are four teams that aren’t going to be in the championship, and they will be helping us out with a couple of things around the building.”

The 47 players at the training camp were split into six teams. Each team played three games with two 9-minute halves. After each team played its three games, the top two teams played for the championship, which consisted of two 12-minute halves.

It was a long morning and afternoon for the players.

“It was a long day; I am pretty tired,” second-year forward Laurent Trepanier said. “As the tournament went on, the chemistry got going a little; I am happy about that.”

The team’s motto this year is “Character, Compete, and Community,” and Team Red Character and Team Blue Character met in the final, with Team Red winning 5-2 behind JP Steele’s two goals.

“It’s great to beat the guys that I know and shove it in their face,” Trepanier, who played on Team Red Character, said. “It was fun, it was good competition here, and I am very happy with the team we are going to have this year.”

Trepanier had a goal in the championship game, while Shane Kozlina and Ryan Zabchuk each added a goal of their own in the win.

David Grosek and Franco Canevari scored for Team Blue Character.

Skerlick said the 3-on-3 format gave the coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate the younger players at camp who may not have had the best of games in Sunday’s intrasquad scrimmage.

“I know John Doucette, who we will be having up here as a (North American Hockey League) and 18U kid, was just talking about the sticks are longer — players are heavier. You are seeing younger kids flourish today. That’s nice, but also, watching yesterday’s game, there was not a lot of compete, and for sure, there wasn’t enough offense. It’s nice to see some offense today.”

The 3-on-3 tournament had some physicality between the Team Red Character and Team Blue Compete. Nick Ramm, acquired this summer from the Northeast Generals, and free agent AJ Noel, the brother of former Nordiques player Andrew Noel, dropped the gloves. Ramm left Noel with a bloody nose after the scrap.

Skerlick was impressed with defenseman David Helledy and forwards Kim Hilmersson and Kellen Murphy. All three players are entering their second season with the club. Free agent forward Jaseok Lee also made an impression on Monday.

Goaltenders Thomas Heaney, Carter Richardson and Aaron Matthews also impressed Skerlick.

Skerlick said Wednesday’s exhibition game against the Northeast Generals at The Colisee at 2:30 p.m. won’t have any returning players playing.

“The players we need to make decisions on are going to be playing Wednesday,” Skerlick said. “There’s a lot of tough decisions to be made right now.”

Trepanier doesn’t want to be in Skerlick’s skates.

“I don’t want to be the coach right now because it’s a lot of decisions,” Trepanier said.

TUFFY GETS A SECOND LOOK WITH THE NORDIQUES

The Maine Nordiques invited goaltender Ainsely Tuffy to training camp after her impressive performance at the team’s main camp in July.

When she was at the main camp, her goal wasn’t to be in Lewiston this week, but she’s happy she got the invitation before her next season begins with Shattuck St. Mary’s, a prep school in Faribault, Minnesota.

“I mean, not particularly, but they ended up inviting me out,” Tuffy said. “I came back to do it again.”

Goalie Ainsley Tuffy makes a stick save Friday afternoon during the opening of training camp for the Maine Nordiques at The Colisee in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

The 17-year-old Harvard women’s hockey commit said improving her game is why she came to both camps this summer.

“The boys, they are stronger, they are faster,” Tuffy said. “Adjusting to that can be a little bit of a difference. Once you get out there once or twice, it’s pretty good.”

Seeing fellow goalie Annelies Bergmann play for the Janesville Jets of the Midwest Division in April, and becoming the first female to play in a United States Hockey League or North American Hockey League junior hockey game, was also motivation for Tuffy to give it a go at Nordiques camps.

“That was pretty awesome to see her do it and hearing about it, hearing how well she did,” Tuffy said. “It was a little bit inspirational for all of us.”

Skerlick is pleased with Tuffy’s performance this week after a strong effort in Sunday’s intrasquad scrimmage.

“She was really good the first two days,” Skerlick said. “I think it’s the first time for her seeing the volume of shots and grade-A opportunities from older kids. Remember, she’s only (a 2006 birth year). She’s obviously playing with the boys this week, and she’s also playing against older kids. She’s one of the five youngest kids in the camp.”

Skerlick said he would talk to Tuffy’s family regarding whether she will dress in Wednesday’s game.

“I know she starts school tomorrow,” Skerlick said. “I will tell you what, she will definitely be given an opportunity. We will have to ask if mom will let her miss a couple of days of school; I would love to see her in a game.”

Tuffy hopes to get into a Nordiques regular-season game this season if things work out between her schedule at Shattuck St. Mary’s and the Nordiques.

“I still got to talk to my coaches and figure everything out,” Tuffy said. “I hope it’s a good possibility.”

TWO MAINERS SET THEIR SIGHTS TO JOIN THE NORDIQUES

There has been one constant in the first four seasons of the Maine Nordiques: There’s been at least one Maine-born player on the roster.

This year, Falmouth’s Cam Charron and Hugo Daniel of Yarmouth are the latest trying to make the club. They are trying to join Alex Rivet, Cole Ouellette, Sam Frechette, Reese Farrell and Oliver Genest, who all at least played a game with the Nordiques.

Hugo Daniel listens to coach Stan Moore on Monday during the Maine Nordiques training camp at The Colisee in Lewiston. Daniel, of Yarmouth, played for North Yarmouth Academy last season. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Genest is eligible to return this season, but he’s currently in the USHL on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders roster.

Charron said he wants to keep that trend going.

“I have been around the rink, so I have seen them play plenty of times,” Charron, who has played for the Maine Nordiques Academy teams the past three seasons, said. “It’s always something I always wanted to do, especially being in my home state.”

Daniel played with North Yarmouth Academy in 2022-23.

“I think Cam Charron is setting himself up to be a for-sure guy to play for the North American League team,” Skerlick said. “It’s a long time coming for him. He hasn’t been given an opportunity to play a single game in three years here. He deserved that in his 16U season, and he will be a leader for us, even as a (2005 birth year). Hugo Daniel — he’s the youngest kid in camp. He turned 16 on the 18th of August, the first day of camp. He was our strongest forward yesterday on the walls. Being the youngest kid and strongest with the puck, it’s exciting.”

Daniel suffered a setback Monday morning by suffering an injury.

Skerlick is keeping an eye out for some other Mainers for future seasons.

“Those kids are showing hockey is growing in this state and the elite level talent is growing in this state, just by those two kids,” Skerlick said of Charron and Daniel. “We have our eyes peeled on a couple of 2006, 2007 and even a 2008 (birth year players) for years to come from Maine.”