LEWISTON – It took a super-human effort from goaltender Philippe Roberge and a little bit of puck luck as the night went on, but Rouyn-Noranda denied the Maineiacs a win in their final game of a seven-game homestand.

Lewiston did manage to get a point, though, as Maxime Mathieu rifled a shot past Philippe Roberge from the top of the left circle 1:10 into the second period to forge a 1-1 tie that held for the rest of the game, giving Lewiston 11 points out of a possible 14 during the homestand.

“We did everything right tonight,” said Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin. “Everything but win, anyway. I told the boys after the game that their effort was there, their commitment was there and that their consistency was there. The goalie was really good tonight.”

“It’s like our goaltending has the Maineiacs’ number,” said Rouyn-Noranda coach Andre Tourigny. “Roberge had a big, big game for us.”

Lewiston launched 46 shots at Roberge, including 15 in the third period and overtime, but the Huskies’ netminder stopped all but the blast from Mathieu.

“I think it was a surprise shot for him,” said Mathieu. “I got a good pass from Cliche and was just trying to put the puck on the net for a rebound, and it went right in.”

On the other end, while he faced fewer shots, Maineiacs rookie Jonathan Bernier played solid as well, stopping all but one of 21 shots he faced throughout the night.

“He did not make as many saves, but he made some great saves for us tonight,” said Jodoin. “This was very big for his confidence as a young goalie, to tie a team in a game like this.”

The goal that did slip past him came off the stick of Jean-Philippe Cote and glanced off of a Huskies’ skate, sliding through Bernier’s pads.

“I saw the shot,” said Bernier. “It came off the stick and changed direction. The game in general was hard, because I would not see a shot for five minutes and then see two or three at a time. There was a lot of pressure, a lot of 2-on-2 breaks.”

The second period also saw some rust come off of the hinges to the penalty box doors, with 16 penalties called. Including the final five minutes of the first, Lewiston and Rouyn-Noranda players fought four times and took several matching minor penalties.

Both coaches, as expected, saw the other side as the instigator, but both agreed later that it was a good, hard, physical game.

“We were ready for it,” said Mathieu. “We were told before the game this would be a hard game, a physical game, and it was.”

Notes: This was the second meeting between Lewiston and the Huskies, and both have ended in ties. Also, the teams used different netminders in both games, creating a new matchup on Wednesday between Bernier and Roberge. Lewiston has played eight games at the Colisee this season, and has a 6-1-1 record. Alex Bourret, automatically suspended for one game after an intent-to-injure penalty Saturday, is hopeful that he will play Friday when the Maineiacs start a three-games-in-three-days stretch in Baie-Comeau. Bernier lowered his goals-against average on Wednesday from 3.54 to 3.08, fourth among rookies with more than five games played this year.