The Lewiston Maineiacs celebrated a whole lot of firsts Friday.
Dillon Fournier registered his first career Quebec Major Junior Hockey League goal, and Pierre-Olivier Morin, last year’s leading scorer, notched his first marker of the season, helping the Maineiacs to their first road win of the season — and helping rookie Andrey Makarov to his first career QMJHL win — in an 8-0 whitewashing of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Friday.
“This whole team played a 60-minute game tonight,” Maineiacs coach J.F. Houle said. “There were no passengers in the game. Everyone was active, everyone did what they had to do, and it was a big win for us.”
Etienne Brodeur was the only Lewiston skater to register a pair of goals, adding his fifth and sixth of the season to the cause, along with his third shorthanded tally of the young campaign.
“He’s very dangerous,” Houle said. “He has good speed, he anticipates well, and you never know when he’s going to take off, which is tough to defend.”
Stefan Fournier, Francis Beauvillier, Cameron Critchlow and Antoine Houde-Caron also scored for Lewiston, which outshot Rouyn-Noranda 35-22 on the game and dominated the pace of play from the initial drop of the puck.
Lewiston didn’t waste any time getting on the board in this contest, as Stefan Fournier put Lewiston on the score sheet at 1:06 of the first.
The Maineiacs received some good fortune on a penalty kill when a 200-foot slapper from their own end hit off the end boards behind Audette and flipped to the low slot.
Brodeur raced after the dump in and caught Rouyn-Noranda starter Mickael Audette napping, sniping his third shorthanded goal of the season into the top corner of the cage to put the visitors on top by a pair.
After just missing out on scoring his first career goal when his shot was tipped in Wednesday, Dillon Fournier left no doubt about it Friday. He fired a slap shot from the point that beat Audette clean, putting the Maineiacs on top, 3-0.
Morin scored his first of the season on a feed from Sam Henley. His shot clanged in off the crossbar and put the Maineiacs out in front by four early in the middle frame.
“If P.O. and (Michael) Chaput start scoring, this team is that much more dangerous,” Houle said. “It’s a whole other part of the team to try and defend,”
Brodeur added a another later in the second on a blast from the circle on a feed from Jess Tanguy, and Beauvillier made it 6-0 with his second of the season minutes later.
In the third, the Maineiacs added the extra point to make it 7-0 in the third when Cameron Critchlow earned his first goal — and his first point — since opening weekend, and Antoine Houde-Caron netted his third of the season to cap the scoring.
Makarov, meanwhile, wasn’t tested much, but when he was, he was up to the task, earning his first win — and his first shutout — in his third career start.
“I was impressed with (Makarov),” Houle said. “He didn’t get challenged a whole lot, but he was always in control, he was always square to the puck. It was nice to see how comfortable he was.”
Olivier Dame-Malka may be out for a little, too, while after being called for a kneeing penalty in the third period, which earned for him a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
The Maineiacs continue their four-game road swing Saturday night against Val d’Or, and the trip concludes Sunday, again in Val d’Or.
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