WATERVILLE — One frequently is enough.

Two unanswered goals to start a hockey game, when you’re Lewiston High School, is the equivalent of a $146 million Powerball jackpot. It would take almost a conscious effort to blow it.

Ben Wigant and Ryan Lemelin each struck gold in a four-minute span of the second period Monday, and Lewiston’s defense did the rest in a 3-0 whitewashing of reigning Class A champion Waterville at Alfond Arena.

Soon as the second of back-to-back, fruitless Waterville power plays elapsed fewer than five minutes in the period, Lewiston’s series sweep was a done deal. Cam Poussard finished with 30 saves, including a baker’s dozen in the final stanza, to cement his astonishing eighth shutout of the season.

“Once we got one and then a two-goal lead, that was huge,” Poussard said. “It took us a while to get going, but I thought we mostly outplayed them in the second and third.”

Lewiston (15-2-1) peppered Poussard’s counterpart, Ryan Cormier, with the first 11 shots of the second period. 

Timing was everything for the Devils, who took advantage of rebounds and deflections and dealt the Purple Panthers (11-6-1) a one-two knockout punch.

Wigant’s goal punctuated a power play. Lemelin redirected a pinpoint pass from the right boards off Cormier’s pads. Wigant was there to clear the deck, finding a seam between Cormier (21 saves) and the far post.

“They were beating us to the puck in the first period and for a while in the third,” Wigant said. “We knew we had to go through the middle and one of us would find an opportunity there. It was a pretty nice three-on-one.”

The puck followed a similar path to the second goal, with Wigant connecting the dots between Lemelin and Sam Cloutier. Lemelin was waiting at Cormier’s doorstep to pounce at 6:53.

Waterville killed off a 5-on-3 situation midway through the period and applied late pressure to Poussard, who responded with a flurry of stops. The most sensational stymied a Kyle Bishop breakaway bid with four minutes left.

“I don’t think there is anybody outside Waterville’s coaching staff and their kids who thought they would have the kind of (successful) season they’ve had,” said Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau. “We knew they were going to come out that first period and explode on us. In the second period, we just had to work harder.”

That lunchpail ethic continued to carry the Devils during the lengthy short-handed situation in the third.

Cloutier, Lemelin, Wigant and Cody Dussault helped direct the traffic in front of Poussard. Devon Beland, Matt Therrien, Mathon and Joey Fournier provided two smothering stretches as the second wave on the penalty kill.

“You can’t relax, even with a lead,” Lemelin said. “But the coaches have been telling us all year that defense is our No. 1 game.”

Beland capped the scoring with an empty-netter.

Lewiston’s convincing win over the second-ranked team in its region could be a horrifying harbinger for the pack as the playoffs commence.

The Devils get one more chance to send a message Thursday in what is essentially an exhibition game, the KVAC championship — also against Waterville.

“Bar none, we’ve played the hardest schedule in the state,” Belleau said. 

And served up a smorgasbord of eggs along the way.

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