The Lewiston Maineiacs’ ears may still be ringing by the time they arrive in Lewiston today, either from the five posts they hit behind goaltender Pierre-Alexandre Marion, or from the deafening noise the 4,620 spectators made after the St. John’s Fog Devils upended the league-leading Maineiacs in overtime on Friday.

Ryan Graham potted his 27th goal of the year 1:01 into the overtime period on a power play and Marion stopped 32 of 33 shots to lift the Fog Devils to a 2-1 win at Mile One Stadium.

“We had the chances all night,” Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin said. “The team could not finish, and Marion played well, too.”

The win was St. John’s second in three games with Lewiston this week. The Fogs beat the Maineiacs 6-4 on Tuesday, while the Maineiacs responded with a 6-1 win on Thursday.

In the first, two of the Maineiacs’ 13 shots rang off the post. In the second, another hit the iron and in the third another two clang away behind Marion.

On the other end, the Fog Devils kept Peter Delmas busy again, and the Maineiacs’ rookie again responded well, stopping 22 of 24 shots.

“He played very, very well,” Jodoin said. “Three goals allowed in two games on the road as a 16-year-old is very, very good.”

Lewiston’s starting goalie, Jonathan Bernier, has been out sick since being pulled in Tuesday’s 6-4 loss in St. John’s, and word of an enlarged spleen had some people worried about mononucleosis.

“He should be fine for next week,” Jodoin said. “We got the blood test results and he will be fine. There is no mono.”

Lewiston was all over St. John’s early, gaining a 9-0 advantage in the shot column in the first 6:27.

That’s when Stefan Chaput put the Maineiacs ahead 1-0 on the power play, tipping David Perron’s shot just enough to steer it through Marion’s pads and over the line.

“It was fun to watch,” Jodoin said. “We were moving the puck well, our positioning was good. Everything was working.”

Though the Maineiacs dominated the rest of the period – the final shot total in the frame was 13-5 – Marion held strong.

A power play early in the second allowed the Fog Devils to knot the score as Wes Welcher slid the puck through a screen and past Delmas at the 5:43 mark.

Lewiston poured on the pressure late in the second, but Marion again stayed strong in his crease, stopping 11 more shots.

Graham’s winner in overtime came on a 4-on-3 power play after defenseman Kevin Marshall was called for slashing.

Lewiston resumes play next Friday at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee against the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.