LEWISTON – It could be one of the most trying stretches of the regular season, and it is just what the Lewiston hockey team has waited for.

The Blue Devils began a string of four games in six days Wednesday evening and expect to get pushed to the limits over the next week. Lewiston already got all it could handle against Falmouth in a 1-1 tie.

Lewiston plays at Brunswick tonight and then plays Scarborough on Saturday and Portland on Monday.

“We needed a test,” said Lewiston coach Norm Gagne. “I told the kids that this is what it’s all about, and what we wanted. We’ve been wanting to play the better teams.”

Falmouth gave the unbeaten Blue Devils a handful, erasing a 1-0 deficit with a strong second period. Both teams had quality chances in the final period and overtime but had to settle for the tie.

“In the end, it was two really good hockey teams playing a really entertaining hockey game,” said Falmouth coach Scott Rousseau.

Both goaltenders were huge for their respective clubs. Falmouth’s Derek Kump kept his club in the game early in the second. Lewiston’s Cam Poussard made crucial saves late in the game, including a stop on Mike Chase in overtime. Chase breezed past the Lewiston bench, skated past a fallen defender and was in alone, but Poussard robbed him.

“Poussard came up with a big big stop,” said Gagne. “That saved us the game. I thought it was all over right there.”

Lewiston, ranked second in Eastern A, struck first during a rather tame opening period. Robbie Leeman tucked home a loose puck at 6:58 for the only goal. The Blue Devils (8-0-1) had a chance late in the period when Casey Poussard settled the puck in front for a point-blank shot in the closing seconds, but Kump was there for the stop.

“At the end of the first period, Poussard had a chance,” said Gagne. “He was all alone. He just couldn’t put it by. That could have been a back breaker right there.”

The pace picked up in the second. Lewiston outshot the Yachtsmen 7-1 to start the period, but the Blue Devils could not cash in despite an early power play.

“We didn’t kill a great penalty kill,” said Rousseau. “Derek killed the penalty for us. That’s what goaltenders have to do. There were stretches where he didn’t have to make saves, but when he had to make saves, he was big.”

Falmouth, in fourth in Western A, picked its game up and finished the session outshooting Lewiston 15-12. Falmouth got a bid from Tim Cassidy just after a power play ended when he beat two defenders to the puck for a shot that was stuffed by Poussard. Minutes later, Cam Hart maneuvered around defenders for a shot that deflected off Poussard and went wide.

“We had some rhythm going and then we took some penalties,” said Gagne. “That sort of killed our rhythm. We’re a rhythm team and like to keep going. We feel we can put some pressure on a team and really wore them down.”

It was Falmouth that rode the momentum. Despite coming up empty on two power-play tries, the Yachtsmen (6-2-2) got the equalizer with 3:04 left in the second. With Dan Hanley crashing the net with a shot. Emmett Brennan was there at the right post to deposit the rebound through a crowd in front.

“After our penalty kill in the second, when they really had us on our heels, we really carried the play the rest of the way,” said Rousseau.

The action was even for much of the third. Falmouth had a power-play chance early in the period but failed to strike. Lewiston had a bid on a break by Jon Roy. Poussard followed that with a backhander off the rebound, but Kump covered it up with 6:48 left.

Both teams threatened in the final minutes. Hart had a shot from the left circle. Brennan had a low shot in the final minute that Poussard kicked aside.

Lewiston’s Jordan Bourgoin had a crack at the winner from the slot following a face-off win with 47 seconds left.

“I think we picked it up in the third,” said Gagne. “It was a good battle in the third. Both teams went at it and took it to each other. We had our opportunities, and they had their opportunities. It was back and forth.”