LEWISTON – Frustration earned him a spot on the bench.

A meeting with the coaching staff and some time to cool off got him back into the lineup.

And Stefan Chaput showed everyone at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Friday what he can do, given the right motivation.

Chaput scored twice and set up two more goals to lead the Lewiston Maineiacs to their third straight win, a 6-3 triumph over the visiting PEI Rocket.

“Everything seemed to work tonight,” Chaput said. “I was very calm before the game. “(The coaches) knew I was frustrated, so they talked to me. My linemates (Friday) were just clicking, and it seemed to go in tonight.”

“He was a man possessed,” Harding said of Chaput. “I think he understands. He’s played hard for me every game, he’s worked hard at every practice, but he’s a young man that has to understand the right way to play. As soon as he learns that, the future is very bright for him.”

The Maineiacs showed signs Friday of emerging from an extended slump, during which they still managed to win a couple of games. Passes were on target more often, the cycle down low was difficult for the Rocket to deal with, and they managed to chase starting goalie Antoine Lafleur after two periods.

“I would say we’re pretty fragile right now,” PEI coach Guy Chouinard said. “We gave up a couple of goals and we were looking around, left and right. We have to regroup now and be better when we don’t have the puck, especially in our own zone.”

The players sent a clear message back to the staff Friday that things are likely to continue getting better.

“We weren’t all working toward the same goal,” forward Chris Tutalo said. “We had some guys going in different directions, but we sat down, had some meetings … I think things are going to be better from now on.”

Early, though, it appeared to be more of the same. Lewiston scored on a Patrick Cusack shot, only to allow the equalizer less than four minutes later.

In the second, Stefano Giliati potted his team-leading 12th goal of the season, but Chad Locke earned his second of the year one minute later to again even the score.

But after the third Lewiston tally, Chaput’s first, the team ended the yo-yo’s bounce. Chaput scored again to make it 4-2, and then Danick Paquette made it 5-2 with his eighth of the season.

“That’s where we took over the momentum,” Chaput said. “We just kept coming.”

The team’s traded goals in the third, with Alex Beaton scoring his fifth of the year after getting hit in the shoulder by a Kevin Marshall shot.

On the other end, Chris Doyle got credit for his second goal of the night when the puck went in off of his skate and through Maineiacs’ keeper Jonathan Bernier’s legs.

The same teams will square off tonight, rain or shine, at 7 at the Colisee.

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