It wasn’t a win, but considering the opponent, the Lewiston Maineiacs are pretty happy with a tie.

Vladislav Balaz scored the Maineiacs’ only goal and Matt Davis made 25 saves as Lewiston snuck out of Cape Breton with a 1-1 tie Friday, giving the Maineiacs a much-needed point one night after clinching a playoff berth.

“Let me tell you,” Maineiacs coach Mario Durocher said, “This was a heck of a game on the road by this team. It was almost perfect.”

The victory improves the Maineiacs’ record to 29-28-4-1 and extends their cushion over Drummondville. The win also pulled Lewiston closer to both Chicoutimi and Rimouski in the Eastern Division, both of which lost Friday.

“For sure it was important in the standings, too,” Durocher said. “More important, though, it gives the players confidence that when we play as a team, we can win big games like this on the road.”

In Friday’s game, the teams battled to a scoreless first period, with Cape Breton outshooting Lewiston 10-8. The disparity in shots was also there in the second period, but it was Lewiston that scored the only goal – a Vladislav Balaz tally with 45 seconds remaining in the period.

“That was good forechecking down low by (Alexandre) Picard,” Durocher said. “Vlad had a quick release.”

In the third, though, Jean-Francois Cyr tied the game with a shot that just beat Davis at the 11:25 mark.

“We made that one big mistake,” Durocher said. “There was a turnover in the neutral zone and they took advantage of it.”

In overtime, Lewiston outshot the Screaming Eagles 4-1, but never got another shot past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The NHL’s No. 1 overall pick in last year’s entry draft who spent much of the year playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins made 28 saves.

Lewiston wraps up its road trip Sunday in Moncton.

NOTES: Travis Mealy was suspended indefinitely by the QMJHL after apparently bumping an official in the Maineiacs’ game against Halifax. With no time to call up another defensemen, Lewiston played Friday’s game against Cape Breton with just five defensemen. A similar infraction by Jeff Cotton of the Val d’Or Foreurs netted the forward a four-game suspension. … Maxime Brunet is still the only call-up so far on the road trip, having dressed for both Halifax and Cape Breton.

jpelletier@sunjournal.com

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