LEWISTON — What started as a rout turned into a nail-biter — and ultimately a disappointment — for the Lewiston Maineiacs.

After taking a three-goal lead in the first period and extending that advantage to four in the second, the Maineiacs watched Drummondville chip away. And chip. And chip.

The Voltigeurs completed their improbable comeback 14:41 into the third period when Andre Bouvet-Morrissette evened the game at four goals each on a tip-in after a power play had expired, and Sean Couturier added the dagger on a power play with 16.8 seconds remaining in overtime, handing the Maineiacs a 5-4 loss, their seventh in eight games.

Still, Lewiston coach J.F. Houle was quick to find the positives.

“It’s all about baby steps,” Houle said. “When you’re in a funk, you need to take it one step at a time. I’m mad that they came back, but I thought we worked hard tonight. I thought we played pretty hard for 55 minutes. We let down for about three minutes there, but there’s a lot of positive in this hockey game.”

The setback also put the Maineiacs squarely into a playoff race — for the eighth and final home-ice playoff position in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Victoriaville.

“It’s going to be a battle to the end; it is every year for someone,” Houle said. “Last year, we made the playoffs because a team lost. That’s how the league is. There’s a lot of parity and it’s a race to the end.”

For Drummondville, the win essentially cements the team into the fourth overall position in the league. The fact that the Volts came from that far down was a testament to the team’s recent history, and the leadership and poise the squad has developed during its recent deep playoff runs.

“I think since the beginning of the season, we’ve been a surprise in the league,” Drummondville coach Mario Duhamel said. “Nobody expected to see us in the top five this year. Since Day 1, the guys have been working hard to make sure we’re going to improve every day. This win showed our character.”

Faced with a 4-0 deficit as it passed the 10-minute mark of the second frame, Drummondville got physical. A pair of fights later, the Voltigeurs scored their first when Simon Tardif-Richard snuck through the Lewiston defense and flipped a backhander past Andrey Makarov, cutting the Lewiston lead to three.

“I think (Mathieu) Guertin did a great job to go and to put the momentum back on our side,” Duhamel said of his player who fought first. “After, we saw our bench was ready to go to war.”

A pair of goals — one each from Morrissette and top prospect Sean Couturier — only 42 seconds apart in the third cut the lead to one, and Bouvet-Morrissette completed the comeback effort at 14:41 of the third, ultimately forcing overtime.

“When you have the best player in the world (Couturier) playing every other shift, things are going to happen,” Houle said. “They’re a good team.”

Antoine Houde-Caron wasted little time getting the Maineiacs on the board, with a big help from Ian Saab. At the left point, Saab turned and fired a wrister under pressure from the Volts, who were trying to break out of the zone. Cole Hawes topped the shot, Nadeau made the save and the puck caromed out to Houde-Caron at the right circle, where he roofed the puck over a recovering Nadeau for the first strike of the contest, only 56 seconds in.

Lewiston cashed in on a power play at 12:23 to double its lead. After moving the puck through center, Olivier Dame-Malka shook off a forechecker and made himself available at the right point. Sam Carrier and Michael Chaput worked to get him the puck and, wide open, he crept to the top of the right circle and let fly a slap shot that flew past Nadeau and into the cage through a screen.

The Maineiacs made it 3-0 with a minute to play in the frame on a Stefan Fournier slapper from 25 feet out on a great feed from Matthew Bissonnette after the latter swiped the puck from a Drummondville defenseman and started a two-on-one the other way.

Houde-Caron added his second 5:57 into the second when he picked off a clearing pass in the high slot, drifted into the left circle and beat replacement keeper Domenic Graham high glove.