With Saturday’s date circled in bright colors on the schedule, the Lewiston Maineiacs were conscious of the fact that a game against the Halifax Mooseheads may have been the team’s best shot at snapping a franchise-record losing streak.

Three head-scratching periods later, the Maineiacs’ streak is still intact, and the team is in danger of falling to the bottom of the league standings.

Seven different players scored and former Lewiston defenseman Garrett Clarke added a pair of assists as the Mooseheads outgunned the Maineiacs 7-3 on Saturday in front of 4,751 at the Halifax Metro Centre, extending to 12 Lewiston’s current streak without a victory.

“We’re not making the difference in the game when the opportunities are presenting themselves,” Maineiacs’ coach Don MAdam said. “It was the same thing that happened in Cape Breton (on Thursday). I think in our last two games, our effort has been much more disjointed.”

At 10-19-0-1 (21 points), Lewiston is tied for 15th in the league with Baie-Comeau, six points ahead of Halifax, which still sits in 18th.

Billy Lacasse, Alex Beaton and Alexis Piette all scored for the Maineiacs, with Lacasse and Beaton scoring on the power play late in the third when the game was already all but decided.

“We had two fights late in the game, too, and we were crashing the net,” MacAdam said. “We talked about it after the game, but we need to be giving that effort at the beginning of the game, not be afraid to get physical early and crash the net early.”

After playing through a scoreless first frame, Halifax unloaded on Lewiston in the second, netting three power play goals and outscoring the struggling visitors 4-1.

Gerard Grant and Jessyko Bernard scored in the first five minutes of the second period to give the Mooseheads a quick 2-0 lead.

Tomas Knotek made it 3-0 for the home squad at 6:05, and after Alexis Piette tallied a goal against his former squad, Pascal Amyot scored on an assist from former Maineiac defenseman Garrett Clarke to reestablish his team’s three-goal lead.

“(Sebastien) Trudeau had a chance to make it 3-2 right after Piette scored to make it 3-1, and he didn’t finish,” MacAdam said. “Talking about chances, that’s one example. A 3-2, it’s a whole different game.”

Halifax added to its total in the third frame when Alex Lemieux netted his sixth of the season on another assist from Clarke.

Lewiston completes its four-game road swing through the Maritimes on Sunday with a 3 p.m. matinee in Saint John, New Brunswick against the Sea Dogs.