The Quebec Remparts took a little while to get cranking, but once they did, everything that stood in their path Friday night — and that included the Lewiston Maineiacs — was toast.

After a lackluster first period during which the Maineiacs executed a solid road game plan, the Remparts unleashed the firepower prognosticators expect will make them a league title contender this season, unloading seven goals in the middle frame and another four in the third on their way to a 12-3 shellacking of the Maineiacs in front of nearly 12,000 partisan fans at the Pepsi Colisee.

“Nothing was working well, most of the players didn’t play hard enough,” Maineiacs’ coach J.F. Houle said. “It wasn’t pretty.”

The remparts managed just eight shots in the first, and the Maineiacs just five as Quebec started slowly in in its home-opener.

“We played a good first period, we had a couple of chances,” Houle said. “But in the second and third, we just stopped playing hard. There wasn’t enough hustle.”

Five goals in the first 5:33 of the second period bore that out. Andrey Makarov was the victim on the first three of the period (and the first four of the game) for the Maineiacs, allowing those four markers on just 14 shots. Jordan Kennedy didn’t fare much better in relief, allowing eight goals on 27 shots. But, Houle said, most of the goals were far from the goalies’ fault.

“We didn’t play in both zones, we didn’t backcheck hard, and a couple of the goals were soft, too,” Houle said.

Joel Champagne had a hat trick for the Remparts in his home debut, while Jonathan Audy-Marchessault had a pair of goals and five assists and Tomas Filippi added two of each in the onslaught. Jimmy Applby made 19 saves on 22 shots to earn the victory.

Lewiston’s goals came from Olivier Dame-Malka, Antoine Houde-Caron and Matthew Bissonnette.

There will be no rest for the weary, either. Lewiston plays next Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Chicoutimi.

“We’re going to have a team meeting,” Houle said. “I’m not very happy right now, and they’re going to know that tomorrow morning. We need to play better, as a team.”