LEWISTON – One of these days, these tight-checking, one- and two-goal losses are going to turn into wins for the Lewiston Maineiacs.

The team’s coach knows it.

The team’s captain knows it.

They’ll just have to wait until Tuesday, at the earliest, to find out when.

Shea Kewin converted a muffed catch by Lewiston keeper Peter Delmas into a backhand wrap-around goal 1:55 into the third period and the Sea Dogs withstood a frenzied flurry as time expired to hold off the Maineiacs for a 3-2 win in front of 2,300 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Sunday.

“(Keeping games close) doesn’t make me feel any better,” Maineiacs’ coach Ed Harding said. “The boys played hard. We’re in all these games. We’re getting good at it, I think, but I’m getting sick and tired of having to pull our goaltender at the end for an extra skater. I’d rather the other team have to pull theirs.”

Filip Janosik tickled the twine just to the outside of the right post with six minutes to play, and Max Gratchev, Alex Beaton, Pier-Olivier Morin and Danick Paquette each had opportunities with the goaltender pulled late in the game, but Saint John keeper Karel St. Laurent was there each time.

“I think (normal starter Robert) Mayer is getting a little tired,” Saint John coach Jacques Beaulieu said. “We’re just trying to give him a break so we can evaluate Karel. From here on in, he’s going to play a little more.”

Danick Paquette had both goals for Lewiston, his 16th and 17th of the season and his second and third goals in two games in 2009.

“It was being in the right place at the right time,” Paquette said.

Joshua Schram scored the Sea Dogs’ first two goals, giving his team some added scoring depth it has desperately been searching for.

“We haven’t had much secondary scoring all season, and it’s nice to see these guys contribute for sure,” Beaulieu said. “Your third and fourth lines sometimes win you hockey games, and we really hadn’t had that this year.”

An early defensive lapse allowed the Sea Dogs to jump out to a 1-0 lead 1:55 into the contest. Mike Thomas outbattled the Lewiston defense behind the net and saucered a pass to the low slot, where Schram fired it past Delmas to put the vistors on top, much to the delight of the busload of fans who traveled to Lewiston for the game.

The rest of the period didn’t see much in the way of scoring opportunities for either squad, as both teams stepped up their defensive play. Lewiston had a pair of 2-on-1s in the latter half of the period, and both times the Saint John defender played the pass perfectly and didn’t allow a shot.

Paquette potted his first of the game 25 seconds into the second period, finishing off a 2-on-1 shorthanded chance on a feed from Alex Beaton. He netted his second at even strength from just about the same spot on the ice – five feet from the right post – after a Beaton shot bounced off of St. Laurent’s pads and right to the Maineiacs’ captain at 10:49.

“I’ve been all over Danick,” Harding said. “There were some things he had to do better, even from (Saturday) night. He can still be an intimidating force out there without doing all of the little extra things that were earning him penalties. He was easily one of the best players on the ice, no question about it.”

Saint John got one back at 12:03 to again even things up as Schram buried his second of the game on a rebound to Delmas’ right.

The winner came as Delmas pulled out his best Manny Ramirez impression. He left his crease to play a popped up puck, and had it go off his glove and drop to the ice, where Kewin swooped in, scooped it up and slammed it home.

That said, Harding believes Delmas made solid strides Sunday.

“He looked better, his structure was a little bit better,” Harding said. “I told him, ‘Let’s put one foot in front of the other and take this one step at a time.'”

Lewiston returns to the ice at the Colisee on Tuedsay against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.