Lewiston rides early lead to force Game 7
By Justin Pelletier
Staff Writer

LEWISTON – It’s down to one game.

Karl Fournier and Alex Bourret scored early, Mathieu Aubin added insurance and Alexandre Picard fired the dagger through Rouyn-Noranda’s heart with an empty-net goal as the Maineiacs held on for a 4-2 victory over the Huskies in Game 6 of their best-of-seven playoff series in front of a crowd of 2,920 at the Colisee.

The two teams meet Tuesday in Game 7 in Rouyn-Noranda, where the Maineiacs have already won twice in the last eight days.

“I think physically we are in good shape right now because right from training camp we prepare or things like a seven-game series,” Maineiacs coach Mario Durocher said.

One thing marring a nearly flawless game was the final minute of play. With the Maineiacs up 3-0, Marc-Andre Cliche had a chance to make it 4-0 with an empty net with two minutes remaining, but fanned on a shot from the right circle.

At 19:16, with several fans already cheering the win, Benoit Fournier pounded a pass from Petr Preucil past Lewiston netminder Brandon Verge to make the score 3-1.

Twenty-one seconds later, Brent Aubin scored to tighten the score at 3-2.

“I am not that concerned about it,” Durocher said. “But it should be a message to the players that they cannot quit. It doesn’t matter if it is the fourth line or the first line, they have to keep going.”

Picard potted the fourth Lewiston goal at 19:59 to ice the win.

For just the second time in the series, the Maineiacs scored the first goal of the game.

Karl Fournier took a pass at the red line along the right side boards from Jonathan Paiement and sped into the Huskies’ zone. After faking a trip around the net, Fournier cut back to the middle and slid the puck along the ice, just inside the right post, and just outside of Poitras’ outstretched left pad.

“Once I started skating I knew I was faster,” Fournier said. “I made a move and pretended to go to my forehand and let the puck slide by him near the post.”

Lewiston added to the lead at 7:16 with a power-play tally on its first chance with an extra skater. Bourret stuffed a shot between Poitras and the left post after faking a pass to a wide open Francis Trudel in the high slot, forcing the netminder to leave his post just long enough for the puck to slide by.

“A goal is a goal in the playoffs,” Bourret said. “I don’t even know how that went in. It was lucky, really, but it still counted.”

Lewiston had a 12-3 shot advantage as time wound down, but the Huskies came back with three solid chances in front of Verge, all of which he stopped while sprawled out on the ice.

“I think he made a couple of stops,” Durocher, “but we played well in front of him, too.”

Neither goaltender faced much pressure in the second frame, with the teams combining for 13 shots.

Nearly all of the Huskies’ shots came from the perimeter, while Poitras made two very solid saves to keep his team close. The first came early in the period with the Maineiacs on a power play, and the second came as the period drew to a close, when Vladislav Balaz found Alexandre Picard alone in front. Picard picked the top glove-side corner and Poitras picked it clean out of the air for the save.

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