Maine Hockey Journal

Forward depth carry the Maineiacs when called upon

Lewiston, ME – If anybody questioned the Lewiston Maineiacs depth at the forward position. Those questions were answered with Sunday’s 5-2 win with two key players out of the lineup with Michael Chaput and Kirill Kabanov missing due injuries. Francis Beauvillier was given the game off for rest.

“Everybody played pretty good besides the first period,” Lewiston Maineiacs Head Coach J.F. Houle. “They did what they had to do – get the pucks deep, finish their hits, and work hard. They did that in the second and third period.”

Kabanov missed Friday’s game due to an illness.

Chaput was an unexpected scratch for Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury.

Cole Hawes was the big contributor of the night, just coming off the injured list himself after missing two months with an arm injury. On the night, the 17-year-old second year forward had a goal and two assists.

“So far this year I have had two injuries and I played the least amount of games on the team,” Hawes said. “I really want to get games in and I want the coach to be confident when he puts me in during the playoffs knowing that I am going to do my part.”

It wasn’t a new thing for some players who were put in offensive roles with Chaput and Kabanov out.

“If those two guys were healthy, it probably would be a different outcome,” said Hawes. “I may not have gotten much ice,” Hawes said. “I am really happy we got the win.”

Houle knows anybody can succeed in any role.

“It’s something from the beginning of the year and know the system from any position,” stated Houle. “Whether you play center, wing, you got to know the forechecks and the (defensive) zone coverage. With the depth we have, it’s suited for everybody.”

The other Maineiacs goal scores included Antoine Houde-Caron, Matthew Bissonnette, Stefan Fournier, and Oliver Dame-Malka.

Even with the injury, Hawes kept himself in shape with off-ice work outs.

“When the Christmas break ended I went into work,” Hawes said. “I (worked out) with my brother Tyler Hawes at the gym. So I kept myself in shape and when I came back for a week and half, (Darren Rumble) got me on the bikes. He got me going pretty good.”

“I thought he worked hard, for a guy that has been injured,” Houle said.

“He’s a guy that’s in good shape, through his injuries he was riding his bike and working hard,” Houle stated.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply