When do seconds count?

For the Maineiacs, the opening ticks of the clock above the Charlottetown Civic Center meant everything in Thursday night’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game at Prince Edward Island.

Lewiston surrendered a goal less than a minute into the game and another in the first minute of the third period, stumbling out of the blocks and tumbling to a 4-1 defeat before 2,535 maritime spectators.

Pierre-Andre Bureau scored twice, including the fourth PEI goal at 41 seconds of the third period. He also notched an assist.

Cory Urquhart got the Rocket rolling with his 11th goal of the season just 40 seconds into the contest. Jonathan Persson added a goal and an assist.

Still last in the five-team Eastern Division, Lewiston (5-11-1-0) faces two more Atlantic Division foes in the next three days, beginning tonight with Acadie-Bathurst.

As has been the case in many of their road struggles thus far, the Maineiacs outshot their opponent but fizzled with the man advantage.

Eight Lewiston power plays went by the boards without a goal.

Lewiston out-shot PEI 17-5 in the first period but still fell in a 2-0 hole.

Sebastian Nolet made 28 saves for PEI. His counterpart, Matthew Davis, turned away 22 shots.

PEI (9-5-1-3) landed the two-goal edge 4:36 into the game. Tyler Noye and Michael Lambert set up Urquhart’s early goal. Then, with Alexandre Picard in the penalty box, Bureau connected for his sixth goal of the season from Persson and Dominic Soucy.

Bureau and Nye set the table for Persson at 3:09 of the second to make it 3-0, and Bureau scored with help from Marc-Andre Gragnani to put it away early in the third.

Pierre-Luc Faubert scored Lewiston’s lone goal, his fourth of the season, from Bobby Gates at 1:15 of the third.