Another two-goal lead, another nail-biter and another game where the Lewiston Maineiacs just couldn’t hold on.
At least they didn’t lose.
After building leads of 2-0 and 3-1, Lewiston allowed the Shawinigan Cataractes back in the game with two goals in the third, and the Cataractes outshot the Maineiacs 23-5 in the third period and overtime to forge a 3-3 tie in front of 2,002 fans at the Jacques Plante Arena on Friday.
The Maineiacs’ coaching staff could not be reached for comment.
Lewiston went into the final period of regulation with a 3-1 lead, but Shawinigan forward Simon-Pierre Sauve potted his second goal of the game less than a minute into the period to pull Shawinigan (71 points, first place in the Western Division) to within one at 3-2.
With Lewiston back on its heels, the Cataractes slowly built momentum in their corner, and at 11:57 Danick Bouchard knotted the score when he knocked the puck past Maineiacs’ netminder Jaroslav Halak.
From there, Lewiston hung on – barely.
The Maineiacs stunned the crowd just 11 seconds into the game when Mathieu Aubin emerged from a pile of players with a goal to give the Maineiacs a 1-0 edge.
The teams played even for much of the rest of the opening frame, with the clubs trading power plays. On the Maineiacs’ first power play of the period, Aubin again connected with a helper from Alex Bourret at 15:00 to give Lewiston a precarious 2-0 lead.
In past weeks, two-goal leads have evaporated more quickly than boiling water. On Friday, the Maineiacs hung on to the lead through the second frame.
Shawinigan pulled to within one at 2-1 when Sauve popped an unassisted tally past netminder Jaroslav Halak at 11:59, but the Maineiacs struck right back on a Jonathan Paiement blast from Brandon Roach on the power play.
Lewiston returns to the Colisee on Sunday to face Moncton in another crucial game against a top team. Nine games remain in the regular season, and Lewiston currently sits in 10th place with 64 points.
Three teams (Rouyn-Noranda, Cape Breton and Gatineau) are tied with 65 points.
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