LEWISTON Val-dOr coach Eric Lavigne called it boring.

The Lewiston Maineiacs called it winning. Again.

Twelve different players registered a point, goaltender Jonathan Bernier stopped all 18 shots, and Lewistons defense stifled the potent Foreurs attack to lift the Maineiacs to a 4-0 victory over Val-dOr in Game 1 of the Presidents Cup in front of a packed Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

Every single line can score, every single line can play well offensively as well as defensively, Maineiacs forward Stefan Chaput said. In the third period, we just played our system, they came out battling, and we battled along with them.

We gave two goals early that we dont normally give, Val-dOr coach Eric Lavigne said. They played trap hockey after that. We cant play from behind against them, they are boring, they close the play and the give you nothing. The only way to play them is from the lead.

Bernier wasnt tested often throughout the game, but on two separate occasion had to be stellar to keep his team ahead by two in the second period.

Its more the win than the shutout, Bernier said. We had to battle hard against a good offensive team like this, and we held them to 20 shots, so that was good.

On another Val-dOr attempt, Bernier appeared to make a lunging save on Jerome Samson. But after the game, he admitted he had a little help.
(Defenseman Kevin) Marshall got that, Bernier admitted. I wasnt sure before, but Marshall got that one.

On the other end, Jeremy Duchesne played well, and saved the game from being a blowout early in the third, but some of the goals that did beat him were uncharacteristic.

Chaput put Lewiston on the scoreboard at 12:12 of the first when he slipped a weak, on-ice shot past Duchesne to the keepers blocker side from an odd angle.

I looked to make a pass to the slot and there wasnt anyone there, Chaput said. I think I caught him a bit off guard.

Pierre-Luc Faubert added a second goal at 15:11 on the power play on a rebound after Chad Denny fired a slap shot from the left point and missed. The ricochet off the back boards came to David Perron, who, after two whacks at the puck, deferred to Faubert.

The teams skated tight in the second, with minimal chances in either direction.

In the third, the third line chipped in as Chris Tutalo blasted a one-timer through Duchesnes legs to make it 3-0. The fourth line capped the scoring with less than a minute to play when Triston Manson scored his first of the playoffs.

I dont even remember my last goal, Manson said. I have no idea.

Following the final goal, the teams traded jabs. Duchesne challenged Manson, but his teammates rushed in before Manson could get to him.

The goal capped off a night during which 12 different players earned a point. Bernier received an assist on Chaputs goal in the first.

Our game is five-on-five, Maineiacs coach Clem Jodoin said. We just have to control ourselves. It has been a trademark all season. Everybody brought their own contribution to the game.

The Maineiacs, meanwhile, held the Foreurs scoreless on the power play, killing off seven chances.

The teams will again square off tonight at 7 p.m. at the Colisee.

Game log from the game:

52 seconds to play in the third: Justin Saulnier took a penalty. 4-on-4.

55 seconds to play in the third: Barring anything else occuring, Lewiston will skate shorthanded the rest of the way, as Triston Manson picked up an extra minor for his involvement in the fracas.

58.5 seconds to play: Triston Manson scores, and then gets into a fight, apparently with the goalie, Duchesne. Jakub Bundil has been ejected, as has been David Taylor and Manson. Those three all picked up a point as Lewiston took the lead, 4-0.

2:21 to play in the third: Brad Marchand just laid Sebastien Piche out flat, and his head bounced hard to the ice. After suffering a concussion earlier this spring, Piche’s condition is guarded closely. He was helped to the locker room.

2:49 to play in the third: Lewiston will be on the PP again, as Marc-Andre Cote hooked down a Lewiston skater.

3:20 to play in the third: A scrum following a frozen puck has yielded a handful of penalties. Chad Denny is in the box for Lewiston, Justin Saulnier is in the box for the Foreurs, and that’s it. Still 5-on-5.

4:11 to play in the third: Chris Tutalo scores on a slap shot from the center slot on a nice feed across from Stefano Giliati. Lewiston now leads, 3-0.

4:35 to play in the third: Lewiston PP ends, no scoring.

6:28 to play in the third: Marc-Andre Cote called for a slash at 13:32 of the third. Lewiston on the PP for the 6th time.

7:24 left to play in the third: Faceoff to Duchesne’s right after a long lob was covered by the goalie.

9:17 to play in the third: Lewiston still ahead as the teams hit the media timeout. The crowd erupts into “Sweet Caroline.”

10:25 to play in the third: Stefano Giliati missed a wide-open net after a nice give-and-go with Simon Courcelles.

11:07 left to play in the third: Lewiston keeping the play inside the Val d’Or zone. Thje Foreurs have three shots this period.

12:37 to play in the third: Scrum in front of Duchesne after another Lewiston chance. No goal.

12:45 to play in the third: Four seconds left on the PP. David Perron just had Duchesne make a solid glove save on an offering in tight.

13:46 left in the third: Lewiston is now on its 5th power play of the game, for the next 1:04.

14:42 to play in the third: Val d’Or misses a golden opportunity on a seemingly open net, as Kevin Marshall and Jonathan Bernier both dove, and one of them got a stick on the puck in time. OIn the ensuing scrum, Val d’Or’s Mathieu Roy and Jerome Samson and Lewiston’s Chad Denny all took penalties. 4-on-4 for 48 seconds.

15:55 to play in the third: Odd call from an official, who has assessed a minor to Patrick Cusack of the Maineiacs after he locked arms with a Val d’Or skater. Maineiacs to the PK. Again.

16:11 to play in the third: Val d’Or just had their most prolonged period of pressure inside the Lewiston zone. Still, nothing doing, though. Offensive zone faceoff forthcoming to Duchesne’s left.

17:43 to play in the third: Lewiston failed to score on the PP.

19:48 to play in the third: Brad Marchand has already taken a penalty. Lewiston to the power play.

19:59 to play in the third: The teams have again begun to battle. The puck is down and the teams are skating in the third.

After two period of play, not much has changed on the scoreboard, but the frustration is evident in the Val d’Or players. As many exit the ice, they are banging their sticks and shaking their heads. Bernier has been solid, but has had to make just 10 saves through two periods.

Val-d’Or goalie Jeremy Duchesne has made a couple of good saves in the second period, too, but the damage from the first period stands.

Lewiston leads, 2-0.

37.4 seconds to play in the second: David Perron nearly hooked Marc-Andre Cliche up with a perfect feed in front. Lewiston has killed off another penalty. Val d’Or is 0 for 5.

3:03 to play in the second: Stefano Giliati tried to buy a free hit from behind after getting bumped slightly from behind himself, but the referee caught him, and sent him to the box for roughing. Lewiston on the PK for the 5th time.

4:00 to play in the second: Lewiston has killed the fourth Val d’Or power play of the night. Kevin Marshall completely manhandled a Val d’Or player in the corner behind Bernier, laying his shoulder into him and sending him sprawling.

6:30 to play in the second: Stefan Chaput is now in the penalty box after a tripping call just inside his own zone.

7:00 to play in the second: Stefano Giliati, sprung on a breakaway by a nice feed from Chris Tutalo, and just missed after a nice move on Duchesne.

8:20 to play in the second: Lewiston has killed the penalty – again. The Foreurs are 0-for-3 with the extra skater. Time for the media timeout.

10:51 to play in the second: Two Lewiston players to the box after separate penalties, but Eric Castonguay took the Foreurs’ Justin Saulnier with him, so the Foreurs are back to the power play, their third, but only a 5-on-4.

12:54 to play in the second: The teams are back to full strength.

13:13 to play in the second: Felix Schutz of Val d’Or and Patrick Cusack of Lewiston are getting matching minors for roughing. Val d’Or has 18 seconds of PP time from before left to play with.

14:55 to play in the second: Courcelles takes an interference call of his own. The teams skate 4-on-4.

15:15 to play in the period: Lewiston goes on a power play after Samual Richard interferes with Triston Manson.

15:54 to play in the second: Jonathan Bernier just made his best save of the game on Jerome Samson, who tried three times to stuff the puck between his skate and the post.

16:08 left in the second: Jeremy Duchesne has made two stellar stops, first in Stefano Giliati and then on Chris Tutalo, and the Maineiacs have pinned the puck in the Val d’Or zone for more than two minutes.

18:44 left in the second: Teams will faceoff at center ice. Val d’Or has managed a shot, but not a dangerous one.

19:59 to play in the second: The puck is down and the teams are back at it.

Pierre-Luc Faubert and Stefan Chaput have given the Maineiacs a 2-0 lead through one period at the Colisee.

The Maineiacs outshot Val-d’Or 7-4 in the period, and even those four shots came from outside of 15 feet. One of the more technically sound period the team has played all year.

Val-d’Or goalie Jeremy Duchesne has looked good, aside from the Maineiacs’ first goal, though, and the goals are still going to be tough to come by.

Faubert banged home a rebound in front of Jeremy Duchesne on a David Perron shot. Chad Denny set the pair up with a blast from the left point that bounced in front off the back boards.

Chaput blew by a defenseman and fired a sharp-angle shot past Duchesne’s feet low to his blocker side to put the Maineiacs ahead, 1-0. The goal came at 12:12 of the opening period.

The teams have each gone 0-for-1 on the power play.

A few fans wearing Val-d’Or gear dot the otherwise blue, black and white landscape at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee tonight as the Zamboni makes its final four passes across the center of the ice.

Tension like this hasn’t been felt here since Game 1, Year 1. The fans are ready.

Below the press box, game officials make final adjustments to the rosters, and call out the scratched players, one by one.

For Val d’Or, scratch Patrice Daneau, Vincent Germain and Shawn Morton-Boutin.

For Lewiston, scratch Danick Hudon-Paquette, Alex Beaton, Tom Michalik and Marc-Andre Crete.

Starting in goal for Val d’Or, No. 39, Jeremy Duchesne.

On defense, the Foreurs are going with Kristopher Letang and Samuel Richard, and on the front end, Mathieu Roy, Brad Marchand and Felix Schutz will start.

For the Maineiacs, Jonathan Bernier mans the crease.

Chad Denny and Michal Korenko will patrol the blue line, and the top line of Marc-Andre Cliche, David Perron and Pierre-Luc Faubert.

In a tribute to local coaching legend Bob Boucher, the Maineiacs asked their fans to observe a moment of silence Friday. Boucher died last week of complications following a heart attack. His funeral was Monday.

And in a new tradition, the Maineiacs again played video of former anthem singer Maurice Morin, who died early in the season. The team has used the recordings in Game 1 of each playoff series so far.

About an hour before faceoff, three Val-d’Or players crossed the ice on foot. One of them — forward Mathieu Roy — threw his shoulder into a pile of neatly-stacked pucks and scattered them across the Maineiacs’ bench.

Laughing, they scurried back across the ice. Maineiacs’ owner Mark Just happened to be walking past the bench and watched, and he went ballistic, telling the players to pick the pucks up immediately.

They didn’t listen.

Fifteen minutes later, a fan who has dubbed herself “Crazy Lady” started waving a rubber chicken at some of the Val d’Or skaters as they milled around their bench. One of the players snagged the chicken from the woman and kept it after tearing a poster placed against the glass near the bench.