The best chance the Lewiston Maineiacs had to slow down league-leading Quebec and it’s high-powered offense was to limit the Remparts’ odd-man rushes and to stay out of the penalty box.

They went 0-for-2.

Dmitiri Kugryshev notched a hat trick and Sebastien Trudeau and Frederick Roy earned three points each to lead the Remparts to a 7-1 victory over the visiting Maineiacs in front of 9,452 at the Colisee Pepsi on Sunday.

“The biggest part of our game plan was to not give them any odd-man rushes,” Maineiacs’ coach Ed Harding said. “That did not happen. We talked about being an intelligent hockey team (Sunday) night, and we are not an intelligent hockey team right now.”

Things started innocently enough for Lewiston in its third game in as many days. Kugryshev tallied the Remparts’ first goal less than one minute into the game on a feed from Kelsey Tessier, but the first frame ended just like that.

Michael Chaput evened things up early in the second, giving the Maineiacs a bit of hope.

Then, the wheels fell off.

“We weren’t very good in our own zone, we were chasing the puck a little bit,” Harding said. “There was a period of time when it was a 4-on-4 and the guys on the ice thought they were killing a penalty. Their minds just weren’t there.”

Mikael Tam, Kugryshev, Roy, Mikhail Stefanovich and Benjamin Breault scored in succession to blast the Maineiacs’ hopes. Quebec’s third goal of the period chased starting netminder Peter Delmas from the cage, though Harding didn’t necessarily yank the 18-year-old for playing poorly.

“Guys weren’t playing hard, and I didn’t want to leave Peter out there hung out to dry,” Harding said. “It was a chance to get Philip some ice time as well.”

The Maineiacs now sit at 6-11 through 17 games – one quarter of the way through the season.

“For me, and for this coaching staff, it’s just killing us inside right now,” Harding said. “I don’t know if losing hurts enough (for the players), and until losing hurts enough, we’re not going to be a very good hockey team. Same thing with getting scored on. It would just kill me if I was on the ice and got a minus. Until those things happen, until it eats them up inside individually … we’re not going to be a very good team.”

Lewiston returns to the ice for practice at home this week, but plays its next two games on the road, Saturday in Bathurst and Sunday in Prince Edward Island. The team is at home next on Nov. 6, against Chicoutimi.