Junior hockey notes: Maine Nordiques release 2022-23 schedule

The Maine Nordiques will open the 2022-23 season with two home games at The Colisee against the Northeast Generals on Sept. 9-10.

The North American Hockey League East Division rivals will meet 12 times during the 60-game regular season.

The Nordiques also will take on New England rival Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks 12 times. They will face the New Jersey Titans, the reigning Robertson Cup champions, Johnstown Tomahawks and Maryland Black Bears eight times each. The Jamestown Rebels are now the Philadelphia Rebels, and the Nordiques will see them eight times next season.

The remaining four games in the regular season will take place at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota, on Sept. 14-17. Maine’s Showcase opponents will be announced later this summer.

One big change for the Nordiques this season is there are no three-games-in-three-days stretches on the schedule. Last season, they had five three-in-threes.

“When I was tasked with scheduling this year, three-in-three, we will not see,” Nordiques head coach Matt Pinchevsky said. “We have a couple of five (games)-in-nine (days), but the flow of that game schedule, the players love. It keeps them in rhythm, flowing: two games, a day off, practice, travel to the next (game), and comeback play at home. We got three five-in-nines, one in October, one in February, and one in late March-early April.

The Nordiques’ longest homestand is four games, which occurs three times during the season. They have one five-game road trip and three four-game road trips.

All but two home games will be Friday and Saturday nights. Friday games will be at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday night games are at 7 p.m. The only two home games that aren’t on those days are Nov. 22-23 against Danbury, the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Both games start at 7 p.m.

The 7:05 starts will allow the Nordiques organization to recognize things happening in the Lewiston-Auburn community.

“That extra five minutes will definitely be utilized to make sure this community understands that everybody is a part of this (team),” Pinchevsky said. “It’s not about announcing the Maine Nordiques every game. If someone got straight A’s in grade school or someone has a big accomplishment in another sport — even on the business side of things, if a new business opens up here in the Twin Cities area — we want to make sure the organization can be a sounding board to let the community know that we are all a part of the Maine Nordiques.”

NORDS SIGN HILMERSSON

The Maine Nordiques recently announced the signing of Swedish forward Kim Hilmersson, who played for the Seacoast Performance Academy’s 17U team.

The 17-year-old Hilmersson tallied 16 goals and 22 assists in 40 games a year ago.

Pinchevsky first identified Hilmersson a few years back while working as a coach with Seacoast Performance Academy. Pinchevsky coached a team that went to play in Sweden, and played against Hilmersson’s team.

“It’s one of those things where it’s, ‘Hey, we were down 3-2 after the first period and one player (Hilmersson) on (their) team has a hat trick right now,” Pinchevsky said of Hilmersson. “Right then and there, I knew I would be talking to him after the game. I think we came back and won, but when it was all said and done, he was an impact player. He’s a tremendous young man, comes from a great family, and he’s an athletic specimen, for sure.”

Hilmersson becomes the fourth Seacoast Performance Academy 17U team player either tendered or drafted by the Maine Nordiques for next season, joining Oliver Genest, Laurent Trépanier, and Seth Murch.

THUNDER DUO TO DIVISION III

The Twin City Thunder announced forwards Tyler Healey and Caden Smith both have committed to NCAA Division III programs for next season.

Healey of Arthur, Ontario, will stay in state to play at the University of New England. The 19-year-old had 18 goals and 18 assists in 41 National Collegiate Development Conference games for the Thunder. He had no points in three playoff games.

UNE is coming off an NCAA Division III Frozen Four appearance, in which they lost to SUNY Geneseo Knights in the semifinals.

Smith of Lakeville, Minnesota, will be playing with the Chatham University Cougars in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 20-year-old had four goals and eight assists in 31 NCDC games.

Chatham plays in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference and finished last year with a 9-12-4 record. Former Thunder defenseman Zack Conner had six goals and five assists in 10 games in his first year with the Cougars.