LEWISTON — Joe Bisson was looking forward to playing alongside his brother on the Lewiston boys’ hockey team. Bisson was entering his second year on the team, and younger brother Nick was an incoming freshman.

The joy lasted just six games before Joe broke his collarbone in a loss to Falmouth.

That was the Blue Devils’ first loss of the season after a blistering perfect start. The bad news continued when Bisson was diagnosed with an injury that looked like it might knock him out for the season.

“We didn’t really expect to have him back,” Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau said of Bisson, “so it’s nice to have him back.”

Bisson made a somewhat surprising return to the ice for Lewiston’s playoff opener this past Saturday. He made up for lost time with a goal and an assist in a 6-3 victory over Bangor.

“I’m blessed. My doctor cleared me, and I was very thankful for him to clear me,” Joe said. “It felt great. It was good to come back from an injury like that and be able to play well.”

Joe’s return was just as special for his younger brother, whose high school varsity season with his sibling was cut short.

“I had the biggest smile on my face,” Nick Bisson said of seeing his brother score the playoff goal. “I was like ‘yes, we got my brother back. It’s going to be alright.'”

The Bisson brothers had played on the same hockey team before, but nothing like pulling on the blue-and-white Lewiston uniform together.

“I was anxious to have him in the lineup,” Joe said. “I always love playing with my brother.”

“I asked him ‘is it a lot different than playing what we’ve played before?’ And he’s like ‘yeah,'” Nick said.

Joe was just a freshman on a Blue Devils team last year that was young overall. Lewiston still has plenty of youth to go around, but the expectations were sky-high coming in. Nick Bisson said he didn’t expect to see the ice much this year, but has been part of a regular rotation at the blue line, save for some games against more physical opponents.

Nick got paired up with junior Cole Ouellette, who he said is a “very intelligent hockey player.”

The freshman played in all but one regular-season game and compiled one goal and eight assists. He said the assists come easy when the teammates he’s passing to are always in the right spot.

The lone goal? That came against rival St. Dom’s.

“It was fun, because I used to go to St. Dom’s,” Nick said.

Joe Bisson started the season on a line with senior captain Kyle Morin at center and freshman Sam Frechette at the other wing. He scored six goals and assisted on four others until his season came to a halt against Falmouth.

“I was feeling good. I was coming off from another injury,” Joe said of his fast start.

The injury, he said, “hurt.”

“It was heart-breaking because I know how much he loves the game,” Nick said of seeing his brother go down with an injury. “He’s always working, working as hard as he can.”

As much as the injury hurt the Bisson brothers, it also hurt the Blue Devils as a team.

“Any time you have a player the caliber of Joe, you certainly have to fill some holes,” Belleau said. “I thought our team responded well.”

Belleau had to shuffle some lines with Joe Bisson out of the lineup, but Lewiston went 9-1-2 in his absence. Morin and Frechette welcomed freshman winger Alex Robert to their line, and the Blue Devils moved on.

When word came that Joe Bisson would be back Belleau put him on a line with junior center Jeromey Rancourt and sophomore wing Alex Robert. The trio had played before on other teams, and had some time during practice leading up the regional semifinal to create some chemistry. All they did against Bangor was combine for eight points.

“Having him back, he fits right in,” Belleau said of Joe Bisson, “and he obviously adds something to our team.”

Now Joe Bisson gets to play against St. Dom’s for the first time this season. His brother, Nick, said the thought of playing the biggest rival in the playoffs is “nerve-wracking.”

But for Joe, he’s looking forward to it.

“It’s going to be one to remember,” Joe said. “I always love playing against them. But now that I have my brother it’s going to be even more special.”

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