Maine Black Bears Media Day in Orono Presented by Law Offices of Gary M Prolman

MAINE'S TOP GUNS (L-R) GUSTAV NYQUIST, TANNER HOUSE AND BRIAN FLYNN
PHOTO BY JEFF SCHOOLS PRESENTED BY LAW OFFICES OF GARY PROLMAN

Today marked Media Day for the 2010-2011 Maine Black Bears Hockey team. A ton of anticipation surrounds this team as Maine ranks 2nd in both Hockey East's Media Poll and Coaches Poll. Take a look at some photos and audio from the team.

PHOTO GALLERY PRESENTED BY MBR.ORG

INTERVIEWS PRESENTED BY LAW OFFICES OF GARY PROLMAN
Gustav Nyquist

Brian Flynn

Tanner House

Joey Diamond

Coach Tim Whitehead

Kevin Dineen on the Morning Jab

Portland Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen joins Shoe and Matty for his first weekly visit.

MAINEiacs lose 5-4 to Huskies in shootout

There was good news and bad news for the Lewiston MAINEiacs on Wednesday night, as the team opened a four-game road trip against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The good news was that the MAINEiacs were able to pick up a point. The bad news was that the Huskies picked up two, defeating Lewiston 5-4 in a shootout.

It took more than five minutes for the first shot on goal to be recorded, but the Huskies made that shot count. Jessyko Bernard scored on a shorthanded breakaway to put his team ahead. Rouyn-Noranda finished killing off Maxim Kazakov's penalty, but Jerome Raymond picked up a penalty moments later. This time, it was Lewiston scoring with the special teams, as Sam Henley deflected Dillon Fournier's shot in for the equalizer. Jason Kelly put the Huskies back on top at the 13:30 mark, as the home team took a 2-1 lead into the intermission.

The MAINEiacs came out with a strong start in the second period, scoring three straight goals. Christophe Lalonde tied the game at two on his first QMJHL goal, finishing off a feed from Alex Zafiris. Four minutes

Sabres Trim Roster, Pirates Roster Takes Shape

Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier announced today the Sabres have trimmed their training camp roster by 14 players. This leaves the Sabres with 35 players remaining in camp: 19 forwards, 12 defensemen and four goaltenders.

Heading to Portland are: forwards Jacob Lagace, Maxime Legault, Dennis McCauley, Brian Roloff, Felix Schutz, Colin Stuart (pending waivers), Corey Tropp, Travis Turnbull and Derek Whitmore (pending waivers); defensemen Alex Biega, Tim Conboy (pending waivers) and Nick Crawford. In addition, two players were also returned to their junior teams: forward Marcus Foligno (Sudbury, OHL) and defenseman Brayden McNabb (Kootenay, WHL).

Boston Bruins and HockeyEast Media Day in Boston Presented by The Law Offices of Gary M Prolman

COACH WHITEHEAD ON THE PM JAB 96.3 THE BIG JAB

PRESENTED MY THE LAW OFFICES OF GARY M PROLMAN

University of Maine F Gustav Nyquist and Coach Tim Whitehead

BOSTON BRUINS
Special Thanks to our correspondent for the day, Tim Rosenthal

Maine Voted 2nd in Hockey East Pre-Season Coaches Poll

MEDIA DAY COVERAGE PRESENTED BY THE LAW OFFICES OF GARY PROLMAN

PHOTO BY JEFF SCHOOLS

Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna released the 2010 men's preseason coaches poll on Wednesday afternoon, which was announced at the league's annual media day in the Legends Club at the TD Garden.

The Boston College Eagles, the defending NCAA Champions, are the unanimous pick to win the Hockey East crown in 2011 according to the league's 10 head coaches. The Eagles earned nine first-place votes with a total of 90 points. The Eagles, who won their league record ninth Hockey East Tournament title in March of 2010, have 17 letterwinners returning from that squad, which includes 79% of the team offense. Forwards Cam Atkinson and Brian Gibbons along with starting goaltender John Muse will give the Eagles the neccessary tools to make another run for an NCAA title at the Heights this season. Atkinson led the nation with 30 goals last season, while Gibbons posted a career-high 50 points.

Pirates Cancel Pre-Season Game V. Monarchs

The Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League announced today that they have canceled their pre-season game against the Manchester Monarchs scheduled to be played this Saturday at the Portland Ice Arena.

“Due to the Sabres’ decision to extend the stay of many prospects and veterans further into training camp and participate in the NHL exhibition schedule, the Pirates’ training camp has been reduced in duration,” said Pirates Managing Owner/CEO Brian Petrovek. “As a result, we will not have the necessary number of players here in Portland this weekend to conduct an exhibition game at the Portland Ice Arena as previously planned. We look forward to introducing the 2010-2011 Portland Pirates to our fans on opening night, October 9 at 7 pm at the Civic Center.”
A Pirates representative will contact all fans who purchased advance tickets for the game to arrange a refund.

The Pirates open their 18th season of competition, the 34th season of AHL action at the Cumberland County Civic Center, on Saturday, October 9th when the Manchester Monarchs visit the Cumberland County Civic Center for a 7 p.m. contest. Join the Pirates for the first Saturday Night is Hockey Night in Portland game of the season. The first 2,500 fans into the game receive a free Pirates magnetic schedule courtesy of JobsInME.com, the “Official Job Board” of the Pirates. Tickets for the home opener, as well as each of the 39 other Pirates home games, are on sale now at the Cumberland County Civic Center Box Office or on-line at ticketmaster.com.

Derek Whitmore of the @PortlandPirates - @BuffaloSabres

Derek Whitmore from the Portland Pirates stopped in on the Morning Jab this morning. He touched base on the off-season, his lack of trash-talk, Sabres camp, and much, much more.

Maine Men's Team voted 2nd in Media Pre Season Poll

The University of Maine Men's Hockey team was voted 2nd in a Pre Season Poll of Hockey East Media and Broadcasters. In addition to the team placemnet, Maine's Gustav Nyquist was the only unanimous player selection to the All Hockey East Team voted on by the same group.

Check it out HERE.

Buffalo Sabres send players back to juniors, including MAINEiacs foes.

Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier announced today the team has returned the following nine players to their respective junior clubs: forwards Riley Boychuk (Portland, WHL), Cedrick Henley (Val d’Or, QMJHL), Steven Shipley (Niagara, OHL), Kevin Sundher (Chilliwack, WHL), Gregg Sutch (Mississauga, OHL); defensemen Corey Fienhage (Kamloops, WHL), Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (Rimouski, QMJHL), Matt MacKenzie (Calgary, WHL) and Mark Pysyk (Edmonton, WHL)

The Sabres also released G Zane Kalemba from his amateur tryout. This leaves the Sabres with 49 players still in training camp.

You can see Cedrick Henley, brother of MAINEiacs Sam Henley, play for Val d'Or in Lewiston against the MAINEiacs Friday and Saturday November 5th and 6th.

Check out Jerome Gautier-Leduc with Rimouski Friday January 28th in Lewiston versus the MAINEiacs

Lewiston MAINEiacs beat Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 in thriller

GOALIE NICHOLAS CHAMPION KEPT THE MAINEiacs IN THE GAME ALL NIGHT

POST GAME AUDIO AND PHOTO GALLERY BELOW

A weekend of offensive frustration spilled over in the 3rd period Saturday, propelling the Lewiston MAINEiacs to a 2 - 1 victory of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The MAINEiacs looked lost most of the night Saturday, mustering only 4 quality scoring chances in the first 2 periods. Two of those open net misses by Captain Cam Critchlow and Jess Tanguy. The low point of the night was at the end of the 2nd when, Acadie's Jeremie Fraser went off for a double minor (Slashing and Elbowing) to give the MAINEiacs a 4 minute power play with a little over 5 to play. The Titan allowed only 1 shot on net during the 4 minutes, and to make matters worse, scored some 20 seconds after the end of the MAINEiacs power play to take a 1 - 0 lead.

Lewiston went off the dejected and looked the same in the first part of the 3rd period. That all changed midway through the period when Olivier Dame-Malka and Acadie's Vincent Arseneau got into a scrap. The MAINEiacs seemed to wake up after that, especially the Stefan Fournier and Jess Tanguy combination.

Frustrated by a couple near misses, Tanguy got the MAINEiacs on the board at the 5:46 mark of the 3rd with a pretty play. After a great pass by Stefan Fournier, Tanguy skated in towards Dereck Tait, Acadie's Goaltender. Tanguy was met in front by a defender, but was able to drag the puck past the him and somehow bank the puck of Tait's shoulder to make the game 1 - 1.

Six minutes later, the Tanguy-Stef Fournier combo got at it again as Fournier stepped around a defender, skated the puck to the corner and fed a wide open Tanguy by the circle. Tanguy wasted no time burring the puck top shelf for the 2 -1 final score.

The MAINEiacs next play a Wednesday tilt against Rouyn-Noranda.

JEFF SCHOOLS

POST GAME AUDIO
Stefan Fournier

Jess Tanguay (En Francais) Click HERE for English Transcript 

Head Coach JF Houle


PHOTO GALLERY LINK HERE

#MAINEiacsHockey lose to Titan 3 - 1 #QMJHL #Lhjmq

The Lewiston MAINEiacs returned to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Friday night, but ran into a tough defensive club in the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Titan netminder Robert Steeves made 31 on 32 shots, as the visitors picked up a 3-1 win in front of 1,748 fans in Lewiston.

The MAINEiacs got the scoring started late in the first period, cracking Acadie-Bathurst's second ranked penalty kill. Olivier Dame-Malka blasted a shot from the point that got stopped by Steeves, who also denied the rebound chance by Jess Tanguy. However, the third time was the charm for Lewiston, as Sam Carrier lifted the third shot into the top part of the net. The home team led 1-0, while outshooting the Titan, 12-11.

Early in the second period, a former MAINEiac took center stage, as Sebastien Trudeau batted a shot out of mid air for his second goal of the season. Later in the period, the Titan took their first lead of the evening, as Jonathan Lessard picked the top corner with his fifth tally of the season. Trudeau struck again in the third, firing home a one-timer from the top of the left circle. Christophe Losier assisted on both of Trudeau's tallies, earning the game's second star.

Robert Steeves made his QMJHL debut in goal for Acadie-Bathurst, and earned the win, making 31 saves on 32 shots. Nicholas Champion suffered his first loss in a Lewiston uniform, allowing three goals on 20 shots in his first game back from training camp with the Montreal Canadiens.

The MAINEiacs and Titan will play the back end of their weekend series on Saturday night at 7:00.

-LEWISTON MAINEiacs-

ESPN: Savard Could Miss Season; Chiarelli Debunks Report

A couple of conflicting news stories on the Marc Savard front.ESPN Boston's Joe McDonald had an article up today stating that sources have told him Savard could miss the season due to post-concussion syndrome.

Peter Chiarelli, however has released an official statement, stating that any report on Savard being out for the year is "inaccurate".

Who do YOU believe?

Marc-Antoine Rousseau returns to his Junior AAA team @MAINEiacsHockey #qmjhl #lhjmq

The Lewiston MAINEiacs have announced that forward Marc-Antoine Rousseau has elected to return to his Junior AAA team, the Valleyfield Braves.

Marc-Antoine Rousseau was originally selected by the MAINEiacs with the 199th overall pick in the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Last season, the Beauce, QC native made his QMJHL debut on December 27th in a 4-3 win over the Victoriaville Tigres. Rousseau went on to play in five games with Lewiston during the 2009-10 campaign, finishing with two penalty minutes, three shots on goal, and a plus/minus rating of +1.

The remainder of Rousseau's 2009-10 season was spent in Valleyfield, where he recorded 16 goals, 12 assists, 28 points, and 41 penalty minutes in 48 games.

This season, the 18-year old played in three games with the MAINEiacs, finishing with four penalty minutes, one shot on goal, and a plus/minus rating of -2. During the preseason, Rousseau had a good showing, picking up one goal, one assist, and six penalty minutes in five contests.

Savard Suffering From Post-Concussion Syndrome

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced this morning that center Marc Savard will not be ready for the start of training camp. Apparently Savard had symptoms recur late in the summer when working out. This of course, leads us to one question:

Should Savard have played in the playoffs?

Concussions are a bitch. We all know it. Pat LaFontaine and Eric Lindros had careers ended prematurely because of them, and that's just two names in hockey I can think of off the top of my head. The shot Matt Cooke gave Savard was brutal, and for him to have returned as quickly as he did was almost as amazing as Wes Welker returning from ACL surgery for opening day. Is it possible Savard came back too quick? Could the brain fart he had in Game 7 with the too many men on the ice penalty have been caused by a foggy mind? He was able to play golf a week ago, now he can't skate? One thing is certain: Marc Savard isn't going to be traded any time soon.

Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day with the Portland Pirates

Celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day this Sunday with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.

Join the Pirates Sunday from 2-3 p.m. at the Children’s Museum as mascots Salty Pete and Crackers will be aboard the backyard ship and you can join their crew! Try your hand (or hook) at pirate speak and you could haul in some pirate's booty: tickets to the Pirates Home Opener on October 9th at 7 p.m. at the Cumberland County Civic Center against the Manchester Monarchs.

Between 3-5 p.m. Salty Pete and members of the Sun Tan City Ice Girls will be in the Old Port searching for Pirate wannabes at Nosh Kitchen Bar, Binga’s Stadium, Siano’s Pizzeria and Rivalries. The best pirate impersonators will win tickets to the Pirates 2010-11 Home Opener on October 9th.

Friday afternoon, tune into the PM JAB, with Chris Sedenka and Javier Gorriti, when more Pirates Home Opener Tickets will be up for grabs between 4-6 p.m for talking like a Pirate.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day, celebrated on September 19th of each year, was created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy) of Albany, Oregon. They proclaimed that everyone in the world should talk like a pirate for one day. The “holiday” and its observance evolved from a romanticized view of the Golden Age of Piracy.

The Pirates open their 18th season of competition, the 34th season of AHL action at the Cumberland County Civic Center, on Saturday, October 9th when the Manchester Monarchs visit the Cumberland County Civic Center for a 7 p.m. contest. Join the Pirates for the first Saturday Night is Hockey Night in Portland game of the season. The first 2,500 fans into the game receive a free Pirates magnetic schedule courtesy of JobsInME.com, the “Official Job Board” of the Pirates.

Now is the time to cash in on great savings by purchasing discounted ticket plans and advance tickets for the Pirates 2010-11 season. Ticket packages are available to meet all budgets and schedules. Call a Pirates Ticket representative today to see what you’ve been missing!

-PORTLAND PIRATES-

Critchlow Earns League's First Star

CRITCHLOW AGAINST THE OCEANIC SATURDAY IN LEWISTON

On Tuesday, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced their three stars of the week for the period extending from September 9-12. The first star was awarded to Lewiston's Cameron Critchlow, the second star went to Saint John's Tomas Jurco, and Quebec's Alex Wall received the third star.


Cameron Critchlow had quite the opening weekend for the MAINEiacs, picking up six points in two games. The 19-year old got the weekend started on Friday night, when he netted his first career hat trick. He also added an assist in the opening contest, giving him a four-point night. Then, on Saturday night, Critchlow found the scoresheet again, picking up assists on both of Lewiston's goals. The Fredericton, NB native totaled three goals, three assists, six points, four penalty minutes, and a plus-5 rating in two games.

Tomas Jurco also filled up the scoresheet this week, as he netted five goals in two games for the Saint John Sea Dogs. On Friday night, the 18-year old started the weekend with a pair of tallies, including the game winner with 6:49 left in regulation of a 6-4 win over the PEI Rocket. Then, on Saturday, Jurco did himself one better, picking up a hat trick in a 7-2 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. The Kosice, Slovakia native ended the weekend with five goals on seven shots, while also posting a plus-2 rating in the two contests.

Alex Wall was the lone defenseman to earn a star this past week, as he had four points in two games for the Quebec Remparts. On Friday night, all was well for the Remparts, as a three-point effort by Wall helped lead the team to a 4-0 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Saturday night was a different story, as Quebec fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Val-d'Or Foreurs. However, the 20-year old blueliner contributed yet again, scoring a shorthanded goal. The native of St. John's, NL completed the weekend with two goals, two assists, four points, and was a plus-2 in two tilts.

Following their 1-1 opening weekend, the MAINEiacs will now embark on their first road trip of the season, visiting the Quebec Remparts on Friday night, before battling the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Saturday night. Lewiston's next set of home games are on the 24th and 25th of September, when the Acadie-Bathurst Titan come to town.

-LEWISTON MAINEiacs-

MAINEiacs drop one to Rimouski 3 - 2

OLIVIER DAME-MALKA BLASTS A SHOT FROM THE BLUE LINE (PHOTO JEFF SCHOOLS)

PHOTO GALLERY BELOW
GAME STORY
The Lewiston MAINEiacs concluded the opening series of the 2010-2011 season with a 3-2 loss to the Rimouski Oceanic. Rimouski goaltender Philippe Tremblay was story of the game, stopping 36 of 38 shots off MAINEiacs sticks.

Lewiston did get on the board first as Brayden Wood buried a rebound of an Etienne Brodeur breakaway.That would be the last offense the MAINEiacs saw until late in the 3rd.

The Oceanic responded quickly as less than 2 minutes later, Jarrad Struthers deflected home a shot past MAINEiacs goaltender Andrey Makarov. Makarov stopped 30 of 33 shots he faced.

MAINEiacs Defenseman Ian Saab went off for holding at 8:30 of the 1st, and the Oceanics capitalized a minute later as Charles-Antoine Roy put a shot past Makarov to give Rimouski the lead for good at 2 - 1.

The Oceanics got the only goal fo the 2nd as Pierre-Alexandre Ouellet put one past Makarov for a Rimouski 3-1 lead.

Things got real interesting with 2 and a half minutes left in the game as Etienne Brodeur buried a shot past the Oceanic goalie Trembley. That was the last the MAINEiacs could muster as the horn sounded on the Rimouski 3-2 win over the MAINEiacs.

JEFF SCHOOLS
PHOTO GALLERY

Lewiston MAINEiacs open season with win!

Prior to the start of the season, it looked like offense would be one of the strengths for the 2010-11 Lewiston MAINEiacs. Most of the 1,891 in attendance on Friday night would agree, as the MAINEiacs lit the lamp eight times in an 8-3 win over the Rimouski Oceanic.

The MAINEiacs couldn't have asked for a better start to the 2010-11 season, finding the back of the net four times in the opening period. Etienne Brodeur opened the scoring at the 26-second mark, before netting his second of the game 1:26 later. Ryan Kavanagh cut the lead in half at 4:27, but the home team wasn't done yet. Cameron Critchlow lit the lamp twice in the first period, once at the 9:20 mark, and then again at 15:19.

After a scoreless second period, the offenses came alive once again in the third. Jess Tanguy's first goal of the season was sandwiched around a pair of tallies by Rimouski's Michael Beaudry. However, the MAINEiacs weren't done yet, as Stefan Fournier, Cameron Critchlow, and Cole Hawes put the finishing touches on an 8-3 win. With his third period goal, Critchlow completed his first career hat trick.

"We did a great job of forcing turnovers and finishing off plays in the offensive zone," said MAINEiacs' head coach Jean-Francois Houle.

Nicholas Champion got the win in goal for the MAINEiacs, stopping 22 of the 25 shots he faced. Philippe Tremblay suffered the loss for the Oceanic, allowing eight goals on 35 shots.

The MAINEiacs and Oceanic will finish their weekend series on Saturday night at 7:00.

#NHL On-Ice Officials and League Having Labor Pains

About 2 or 3 Saturdays ago, a very credible source gave Jeff word that negotiations between the NHL and it's officials were not going well. In no hurry to rush into another story like last spring, we waited for a second source.

The Hockey News broke word on this earlier with news ECHL officials had been asked if they'd be replacement referees by the NHL. Great story, and the tip of the iceberg. With that, we might as well share what we were told.

THN and others have pointed out officials are unhappy with the way the league polices the officials. While I have no doubt that's part of the stand-off, the biggest issue is an obvious one, pay (Gasp, no way!). According to the source, the officials want what they deem a "fair pay raise", and have not been thrilled with what they have been offered in terms of salary and Per Diem, and were quote "insulted" with the offers they have received.

Says the source, "They see the contracts players are getting, they know the league is making more money then they were when the last CBA negotiations happened, yet they are being treated as an afterthought by the league".

Basically, there is an overwhelming sense of being taken for granted among on-ice officials, with training camp right around the corner, Gary Bettman and the rest of the crew cruising Toronto in the Mystery Machine need to work with a little urgency before we start talking about NHL officiating in the same way we do Major League Baseball umpiring and NBA officiating.

Lewiston MAINEiacs announce roster.

The Lewiston MAINEiacs are pleased to announce their roster for the 2010-11 season.

This year's team will begin with a total of 26 players - 15 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 3 goaltenders. 20 of the 26 players have appeared in at least one game at the QMJHL level, while 16 of those 20 have appeared in at least one game with the MAINEiacs. Three of the remaining six were selected at the 2010 QMJHL Entry Draft in Drummondville, one was taken in the CHL Import Draft, one was signed as a free agent during the draft, and one made the team as a training camp invite. 12 players were originally drafted by Lewiston, with 12 other players being acquired via trades.

Due to the amount of players returning, the team's average age will be significantly higher than last season. This year, Lewiston's average age is 17.9 years old, as they are carrying three 20-year olds, four 19-year olds, ten 18-year olds, six 17-year olds, and three 16-year olds. The MAINEiacs also have an average height of 5'11 4/5" and an average weight of 177.7 pounds.

16 of the 26 players hail from the province of Quebec, four are from Nova Scotia, three are from New Brunswick, and there are one each from New Foundland and Prince Edward Island, as well as Russia.

The 2010-11 roster shapes up like this:

1 G Andrey Makarov
2 D Dillon Fournier
3 D Zachary Evans-Renaud
4 D Ian Saab
6 D Samuel Finn
8 LW Marc-Antoine Rousseau
9 LW Christophe Lalonde
10 LW Jonah Coonishish-Coon
12 D Zachary Shannon
13 D Brayden Wood
15 LW Samuel Henley
17 C Cole Hawes
18 C Alex Zafiris
19 LW Pierre-Olivier Morin
21 C Francis Beauvillier
22 RW Stefan Fournier
23 LW Etienne Brodeur
26 C Michael Chaput
27 LW Cameron Critchlow
31 G Nicholas Champion
41 G Jordan Kennedy
44 D Olivier Dame-Malka
55 D Samuel Carrier
57 LW Antoine Houde-Caron
68 C Jess Tanguy
73 C Matthew Bissonnette

MAINEiacs name captains

The Lewiston MAINEiacs are pleased to announce that they have named their captains for the upcoming season.

Cameron Critchlow will serve as the team's captain for all 68 games, while Samuel Finn will serve as an assistant captain for all 68 games. Michael Chaput and Antoine Houde-Caron will serve as assistant captains for the team's 34 home games, while Samuel Henley and Pierre-Olivier Morin will serve as assistant captains for the team's 34 road games.

Critchlow, 19, enters his fourth season in the QMJHL, as well as his first full season with the MAINEiacs. The Fredericton, NB native played in parts of three seasons with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, before being dealt to Lewiston last December. In 180 career games, Critchlow has 18 goals, 37 assists, 55 points, and 195 penalty minutes.

Finn, 19, enters his fourth season in the QMJHL, as well as his second full season with the MAINEiacs. The Quebec, QC native played in parts of two seasons with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, before being dealt to Lewiston in December of 2008. He has also recently been invited to attend training camp with the San Jose Sharks. In 177 career games, Finn has six goals, 28 assists, 34 points, and 246 penalty minutes.

Chaput, 18, enters his third season in the QMJHL, spending each of his previous two seasons with the MAINEiacs. The Montreal, QC native was originally selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft, and was recently drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 89th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In 97 career games with Lewiston, Chaput has 31 goals, 34 assists, 65 points, and 94 penalty minutes.

Houde-Caron, 20, enters his fifth season in the QMJHL, spending each of his previous four seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes. The Brossard, QC native was acquired by the MAINEiacs this past summer in a deal that sent forward Jean-Francois Plante to Shawinigan. In 185 career games, Houde-Caron has 44 goals, 32 assists, 76 points, and 118 penalty minutes.

Henley, 17, enters his second season in the QMJHL, after making his debut last season with the MAINEiacs. The Val-d'Or, QC native was originally selected with the 39th overall pick in the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft. In 63 career games, Henley has four goals, nine assists, 13 points, and 22 penalty minutes.

Morin, 19, enters his fourth season in the QMJHL, spending each of his previous three seasons with the MAINEiacs. The Trois-Rivieres, QC native was originally selected with the 66th overall pick in the 2007 QMJHL Entry Draft, and has recently been invited to attend training camp with the Vancouver Canucks. In 137 career games, Morin has 36 goals, 59 assists, 95 points, and 105 penalty minutes.

Courtesy Lewiston MAINEiacs

Gervais Munger, Co-Owner of Chicoutimi in QMJHL, Feared Dead

The co-owner of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Gervais Munger, may have drowned in Lake St. Jean, according to a report in the Montreal Gazette.

Munger, who was 52, was on a boat Saturday afternoon that suffered a mechanical failure, and he and 3 other passengers went overboard. The other 3 made it to shore.

Munger was also the first vice president on the five-member executive committee that was charged with choosing the site for the 2012 Mastercard Memorial Cup.

Thoughts and prayers to his friends and family.

Joe Yerdon (@HockeyJoePHT) Joins us to Talk #NHL

Joe Yerdon from ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports.com joined us on the Weekend Warm-Up presented by Mr. Sparky this morning to wrap up the Kovalchuk drama, talk some Bruins, Sabres, and break down some Gustav Nyquist. Listen below, and if we're real nice to him, maybe he'll join us on a regular basis this year...

Bissonnette's shootout goal lifts MAINEiacs to 4-3 win over Moncton

OFFICIAL MAINEiacs GAME WRAP

Matthew Bissonnette spent parts of two seasons as a Moncton Wildcat, before becoming a Lewiston MAINEiac last winter. On Friday night in Fredericton, Bissonnette was the hero, as his goal in the third round of the shootout lifted the MAINEiacs to a 4-3 win over the Wildcats at Willie O'Ree Place.

After a scoreless first period, the MAINEiacs started the scoring in the second. Newcomer Cole Hawes netted his first goal of the preseason, with Olivier Dame-Malka drawing the lone assist. James Melindy tied the score with a power play goal just before the midway mark of the contest, but 42 seconds later, Lewiston

MAINEiacs lose 7-3 to Moncton in pre-season tilt

OFFICIAL MAINEiacs GAME WRAP
Special teams were the story on Thursday night, as the Lewiston MAINEiacs took on the Moncton Wildcats at the Red Ball Internet Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick. Unfortunately for the visiting MAINEiacs, it was Moncton's power play that did the damage. The Wildcats were 5-for-11 on the man advantage, as they picked up a 7-3 victory.

Three of those tallies came in a span of 1:16 in the opening period, as the Wildcats quickly built a 3-0 lead. However, the MAINEiacs came back with a pair of goals, as Olivier Dame-Malka and Samuel Carrier each found the back of the net from the blueline. Dame-Malka's goal was his first of the preseason, while Carrier's marker was his third. Antoine Houde-Caron assisted on both goals, with Ian Saab and Matthew Bissonnette also registering points. Moncton's Marek Hrivik scored once more before the end of the period, as the home team took a 4-2 lead into the intermission.

The two clubs exchanged goals in the second period. Jess Tanguy brought Lewiston within a goal, as he scored his third goal of the preseason at the 10:09 mark. Carrier had the lone assist, giving him a multi-point

AHL Collective Bargaining Agreement Expires

The American Hockey League's collective bargaining agreement expired after midnight last night, but don't think that means a work stoppage is imminent.

In an article written by Kevin Oklobzija of the Democrat and Chronicle, the executive director of the Professional Hockey Players' Association, Larry London states:

"We don't see any problems."

The key issue at hand is expanding the number of veterans allowed on an AHL roster from it current levels. From the article: "Teams are permitted to use five skaters with more than 320 games of top-level professional experience (NHL, AHL or European Elite League). A team can also have one "exempt" player who has played between 260 and 320 games."

A 30th team being added in OKC will increase the number of veteran slots open, however.

Let's keep our fingers crossed this doesn't have repurcussions down the road.