LEWISTON — Despite a split at home in the first two games of their best-of-seven playoff series against Moncton, the Lewiston Maineiacs remain positive.

And why not? The better part of the team’s success late in the season occurred away from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

“I think our players know they’ve been playing well on the road,” Lewiston coach J.F. Houle said. “That’s good for the mental aspect of it. I think they get excited when we’re on the road. We get on the bus, we get to go out to the restaurants together and just hang out. I think it’s been pretty positive on the road this year.”

After a 4-1 loss in Game 1 on Friday, Lewiston bounced back to take Game 2 from the Wildcats, 2-1, on Saturday, to even the series at a game apiece.

“Obviously I wish we could have won both, but that’s not the case,” Houle said. You just have to take it one game at a time. I feel pretty good about it. I thought we played pretty good last game. I thought it was a good defensive game. We created a little bit more chances in the second game, but I still think there’s room for us to create even more chances.”

One of the surprises Houle and the Maineiacs have encountered has been the play of Moncton rookie netminder Brandon Thibeau. The first-year QMJHL backstop has allowed just three goals in two games.

“I’m pretty impressed with him,” Houle said. “He made some big saves (Saturday) to keep his team within one goal. he had P.O. (Morin)’s breakaway, he had a couple other guys right around the goal mouth jamming at pucks. I think he’s playing pretty good.”

The rest of the squad, Houle said, is as advertised.

“They are everything I expected,” Houle said. “They’re a hard-working team, they’re not easy to play against and they’re doing a pretty good job defensively to keep us on the outside. It’s going to be a tough series, it’s going to be a tight series.”

Tight and, perhaps, low-scoring. That’s a foreign concept for the Maineiacs, who scored more goals this season than all but two other teams in the QMJHL. Houle didn’t appear too concerned Sunday with the team’s early lack of goal production.

“I think it’s going to come eventually, it’s just a matter of time,” Houle said. “I don’t really care who scores, as long as we win. I don’t care if (team leading scorer Etienne Brodeur) doesn’t get one goal in the playoffs, as long as the team wins.”

Lewiston will have another player from which to choose in making lineup decisions in Tuesday’s Game 3, as Ian Saab returns from his one-game league-imposed suspension for fighting late in Friday’s loss. Moncton will also welcome back offensive catalyst Marek Hrivik, with whom Saab scrapped in that contest.

“I’m not sure what we’re going to do with our defense yet, we practice (Monday),” Houle said. “We’re going to decide tomorrow after practice.”

Lewiston will still be without forward Antoine Houde-Caron for two more games. Houde-Caron received a three-game suspension for a hit to the head in Friday’s loss. he served the first game Saturday.

The Maineiacs will leave Lewiston on Monday for Moncton, and will play Games 3 and 4 there Tuesday and Wednesday, with both scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Game 5 will be Friday night back in Lewiston at 7:30 p.m.