LEWISTON – When Cameron Critchlow was traded to Maine from a club out of New Brunswick, he faced more than just the usual transition.

Critchlow, of Moncton, New Brunswick, said he didn’t know what to expect when the Lewiston Maineiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League acquired him from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in January 2010.

“I was coming not just to a new team but a new country,” said Critchlow, 20, who plays left wing.

“It was a culture shock. I didn’t know what to expect. Coming to a new country, you get skeptical. Everything is different. The health care is different. People respond differently to situations. People have different views. It was just different. But I got comfortable, especially this year.”

So have the Maineiacs, who have quietly surged through the QMJHL playoffs this spring after a couple of years marred by futility and relocation rumors.

Lewiston finished the regular season with a 40-24-1-3 record and earned the eighth seed in the playoffs.

The Maineiacs cruised past No. 9 Moncton in the first round of the best-of-seven series, 4-1. If that wasn’t a surprise, the second-round upset of Montreal in six games certainly was.

The Montreal Juniors earned the second seed and lost just 12 games in the regular season. Lewiston begins play in the semifinals Friday night at St. John.

“A lot of people said we wouldn’t win a game in that series,” said Critchlow, the team’s captain, who has 34 points in 76 games, including the playoffs. “We were seeded higher than Moncton so maybe that wasn’t a surprise. But we knew we could make some noise.”

Added Lewiston Coach J.F. Houle: “Last year we finished near the bottom of the league, but we came into this year more mature. Junior hockey, it comes in cycles. But we’ve been on a roll. Montreal was the big-time favorite but our physical play won us the series.”

The Maineiacs, who won the 2007 league title, also will play Game 2 at St. John on Saturday before the series shifts to Lewiston on Tuesday.

St. John lost just seven games in the regular season.

“The last couple years have been very frustrating,” said center Michael Chaput, 18, of Montreal, who’s been with Lewiston for three seasons. “We’ve been in the bottom the last couple of years so it feels good to finally win some playoff games.”

The QMJHL is one of the three top junior hockey leagues in Canada. A breeding ground for the National Hockey League, the QMJHL features teams from Montreal, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Lewiston.

The franchise came to Lewiston in 2003. After winning the league title in 2007, the franchise nearly relocated on a few occasions.

In January 2009, the Maineiacs reportedly negotiated a move to Boisbriand, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal.

The team cited lack of community support as a reason to leave. But negotiations fell through and the team remained in Lewiston. The following year rumors again circulated about a possible relocation, this time to Summerside, Prince Edward Island.

“There’s been talk of moving for four years, but it’s just talk,” Houle said. “But we are still here. The fan support is good but not where we would want it to be. It would be nice to get more fans. It is what it is.”

Houle said the team draws an average of about 1,500 fans per game.

“The players don’t notice, though,” Houle said. “They’re just out there playing.”

Many, including Chaput, have the NHL in their sights.

Chaput, 18, was a 2010 third- round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, but his rights were then traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“You want to get there as quick as possible,” said Chaput, who has 77 points in 73 games this season. “But there’s still a lot to work on. This year has been a lot of fun, and we’ve been playing good hockey.”

Added Houle: “The last two years have been disappointing to swallow for the organization. But right now we’re playing our best hockey. Hopefully we can keep this going.”