Lewiston sits in eighth place overall after a 3-2 win over Acadie-Bathhurst.
LEWISTON- The Maineiacs’ coaching staff was worried about a letdown Thursday after Wednesday’s emotional win over Cape Breton.
They had every right to be concerned.
Fortunately, against last-place Acadie-Bathurst, one solid period of hockey was all Lewiston needed.
Nicolas Cowan, Alex Bourret and Gabriel Balasescu all scored as the Maineiacs edged the Titan 3-2 at the Colisee.
The win moved the Maineiacs into eighth place overall in the league standings with five games to play, shifting division rival Chicoutimi back to ninth.
“That was a big win as far as points,” Maineiacs coach Mario Durocher said. “I think we played well in the second period, and in the third, we sat back a bit with the lead. (Adam) Russo played a good game in net for them, too.”
Russo made 41 saves, his third 40-plus save night against the Maineiacs this season. Brandon Verge, meanwhile, stopped 17 shots to record the win.
In the second, the teams came in knotted at one, but that quickly changed when Balasescu slammed home a rebound from the left post just 43 seconds in.
“That really started that second period for us,” Durocher said. “We outshot them 24-5 that period, and all five of their shots were from the outside, not good chances.”
The Maineiacs second goal of the period and the eventual game-winner, came on a similar play as Alex Bourret flew in from the right boards and collected a rebound on a Francis Trudel blast from the right point.
Bathurst battled back in the third period, getting one more past Verge, but the Maineiacs held on for the win.
“The power play played well, and we need that heading to the playoffs,” said Durocher. “We put a lot of pressure on Chicoutimi with this win.”
The Maineiacs struggled out of the gate on Thursday, allowing seven shots in the first six minutes. The last of those shots, off the stick of Jordan Clendenning, beat Verge with the Titan on a 5-on-3 power play.
“We played undisciplined in the first period,” Durocher said. “We stopped playing like that after that, but it hurt early.”
The Maineiacs righted the ship following that goal, led by their fourth line. The Titan did not fire another shot at Verge all period, and Cowan chipped a goal past Russo.
Lewiston returns to the ice on Saturday in Baie-Comeau, the first meeting between the Drakkar and the Maineiacs since late December, when neither team finished the game with a player on the bench after several fights and a bench-clearing brawl.
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