Even a five-minute, five-on-three power play in the middle of the third period couldn’t save a thin Lewiston Maineiacs lineup Friday night.
Despite scoring first, just 59 seconds into the game, the Maineiacs allowed 30 shots to reach goaltender Jonathan Bernier in the first two periods alone. And a depleted defense was not enough to stop Baie-Comeau as the Drakkar scored twice in the second and once more in the third to upend the Maineiacs 3-1 at the Centre Henry-Leonard.
“When you have a break in a game, you have to take advantage of it,” said Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin. “Sometimes, we were not smart with the puck and we should have been.”
With 10 minutes to play in the third, an altercation in one corner of the rink led to both Jonathan Bernier and Michal Dupont, the teams’ starting netminders, to be tossed, and also led to two Drakkar players receiving five-minute majors served at the same time.
The ensuing 5-on-3 power play for Lewiston proved fruitless despite Jodoin’s choice to pull Jaroslav Halak for two minutes, creating a 6-on-3 in the Baie-Comeau zone.
“That really hurt,” said Jodoin. “We pulled the goalie but still couldn’t score. (Replacement netminder Loic Lacasse) was good, and he made some key saves, but we just did not do the job.”
Jodoin actually felt that the turning point in the game came earlier in the third.
“With a 2-1 lead in the third, we had a chance to catch them, and if we get that 5-on-3 at 2-1, it is different, but the turning point for me was their third goal.”
The team also received more bad news about players’ injuries Friday, as Chad Denny, who is still serving a two-game suspension for a hit last weekend, was diagnosed with mono and might be out for the season.
“We are really thin,” said Jodoin. “We have to start playing smart, to keep the shifts as short as possible.”
Alex Bourret scored Lewiston’s only goal at 59 seconds of the opening frame Friday, but the Drakkar rebounded in the second with goals from Benjamin Breault and Joakim Jensen. Jensen also picked up an assist on an Alexandre-Picard-Hooper tally in the third and earned the game’s first star.
Lewiston returns to the ice Wednesday, hosting Chicoutimi at the Colisee.
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