LEWISTON – The frustration from the Lewiston Maineiacs’ bench was evident.
With just five seconds left in a 3-2 game, Nick Cowan reached out from his seat and impeded Halifax forward Rane Carnegie’s progress toward a loose puck and an empty net, drawing an immediate whistle and an ejection for Cowan.
It did, however, prevent the Mooseheads’ forward from scoring a sure empty-net goal. After leading the game 2-0 in the second period, and after having several chances late in the third turned away by goaltender Jeremy Duchesne, the Maineiacs were just plain frustrated.
Marc-Andre Bernier, older brother of Maineiacs netminder Jonathan Bernier, teed up a one-timer from the right circle at 7:04 of the final period to complete the Halifax comeback, leading the Mooseheads to a 3-2 win over Lewiston at the Colisee.
“The thing is, I think we played a good game,” said Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin. “The first period, it could have been 3-0 or 4-0 for us, but (Duchesne) kept the team in the game. They are the best team in the league, and they played like it. It was a good game, a very good game.”
Halifax coach Al MacAdam, who replaced Shawn MacKenzie midway through the season, was not impressed with the way his team played in the first period, but was happy to skate away from Lewiston with a win.
“They are at the end of a four-game stand, and we are starting a four-games-in-five-nights trip,” said MacAdam. “I don’t think we were ready in the first for the level they brought to the game, but we made some adjustments and were OK in the second and third.”
In the first, Mathieu Aubin took a great feed from Alex Bourret on a perfectly-timed give-and-go in the right corner and scored on Duchesne on a second-effort in front to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
Less than four minutes later, Bourret got one of his own on the power play when he took a feed at the top of the right circle from Alexandre Picard, curled to the middle of the slot and blasted a slap shot past Duchesne.
“That line, it’s just them and them wanting to play,” said Jodoin. “They accepted the challenge and played well all night.”
Bourret was back to his old wrecking-ball self after serving a two-game suspension for a high stick in Chicoutimi.
In the second, though, Halifax seemed to right its ship on two goals from afar.
The first came at 4:55 when Petr Vrana intercepted a Michal Korenko gaffe at the Maineiacs’ blue line and skated two steps before slapping the puck past an unfocused Jaroslav Halak.
“His job is to stop the puck,” said Jodoin. “That was his job, just like the defense needs to keep the other team to the outside.”
At 12:49, Carnegie scored in similar fashion when he knocked down a clearing attempt with what appeared to be a high stick. No whistles blew, but several Lewiston skaters paused long enough for Carnegie to turn and fire a shot that beat Halak between his left arm and body.
Bernier’s tally at 7:04 of the third sealed the win of Halifax, which hung on late, despite being outshot.
Lewiston drops to 26-21-7 on the season and remains tied with Rouyn-Noranda for eighth place overall, but now gives a game in hand to the Huskies. Gatineau jumped over both Lewiston and Rouyn-Noranda on Wednesday with a win over Cape Breton.
Halifax, meanwhile, moves into first overall, surpassing Chicoutimi by one point. The Mooseheads also still hold a game in hand on the Sagueneens.
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