The team was founded in 2012 as the
Lake George Fighting Spirit playing out of
Lake George, New York. The Fighting Spirit joined the
Northern States Hockey League (NSHL) as one of the seven inaugural teams. The Fighting Spirit won the inaugural NSHL regular season championship with a record of 37–4–1. With the title, the Fighting Spirit received an automatic bid, with the second place
Syracuse Stampede, to the
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
United Hockey Union tournament in
Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament included the top teams from the three AAU-sanctioned leagues: the NSHL,
Western States Hockey League, and the
Midwest Junior Hockey League. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the team moved to
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, and were known as the
AHI Fighting Spirit to reflect a partnership with the American Hockey Institute. The Fighting Spirit captured the team's second straight NSHL regular season title with a record of 31–4–3–2. After falling in the playoffs and participating in the second UHU National Championship in Las Vegas, the team announced a move to
Laconia, New Hampshire, and would change their name to the
New Hampshire Fighting Spirit for the 2014–15 season. During the 2014–15 season, the NSHL changed its name to the
North American 3 Eastern Hockey League (NA3EHL) when operations were taken over by the Tier II
North American Hockey League. During this time, the organization left the AAU and petitioned for approval into
USA Hockey sanctioning, which was given prior to the 2015–16 season. Prior to the 2015–16 season, the Fighting Spirit relocated again to
Lewiston, Maine, and was called the
L/A Fighting Spirit (with the L/A standing for Lewiston/Auburn) and began playing home games at
Androscoggin Bank Colisée. Prior to the 2016–17 season, the Fighting Spirit became part of the
North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) when it absorbed the NA3EHL. In March 2017, it was announced that Fighting Spirit owner and head coach Rod Simmons had sold the team to the owner of the Androscoggin Bank Colisée, Jim Cain. Cain announced that beginning with the 2017–18 season, the team would rebrand as the Lewiston/Auburn Nordiques after the former professional team, the
Maine Nordiques. With Simmons also stepping down from his coaching position, assistant coach Cam Robichaud was retained and promoted to head coach. In 2019, a Tier II
North American Hockey League (NAHL) added an expansion team called the
Maine Nordiques under separate ownership. Head coach Robichaud then became an assistant for the NAHL team and the NA3HL Nordiques named Chris Pomerleau as head coach. In March 2020, Maine Nordiques' owner Darryl Antonacci agreed to purchase the Colisée and the Tier III Nordiques from Jim Cain. As part of the turnover, Antonacci folded the Tier III junior team and replaced it with
Tier 1 youth teams. Simultaneously, the NA3HL cancelled their 2020 playoffs due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and the L/A Nordiques ceased operations. The NA3HL announced the return of the Maine Nordiques for the 2024–25 season. They will share the same facilities as the higher level NAHL team of the same name. ==Statistics==