LEWISTON — Edward Little was looking to turn the page from facing one rival by writing a new chapter in another storied rivalry.

It was a welcome start for the Red Eddies, but still a not-so-happy ending for a team that started the season 3-0. A third straight loss came at the hands of Lewiston, which overcame a rough start to rally for a 3-1 Class A North boys’ hockey win Tuesday at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

“I was really, really pleased with our effort tonight,” EL coach Norm Gagne said. “It was like night and day from the St. Dom’s game, and that makes me feel a heck of a lot better. I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

While Gagne may have been pleased with the effort, the results left more to be desired.

The Red Eddies (3-3) got off to a promising start on Ben Lane-Robichaud’s unassisted goal 5:25 in, but another solid opportunity went by the wayside to keep it a 1-0 game. That allowed the Blue Devils (5-0) to tie the game up on Kurtis Pelletier’s power-play goal with 2:27 left in the first period.

“We didn’t play a good first period, obviously, and obviously any time you get a power play — that’s the game of hockey, right? We executed, so we get out of there with a 1-1 score, so we were fortunate to score on the power play,” Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau said.

The game turned heavily in the Blue Devils’ favor in a one-minute span in the final five minutes of the second period. Senior captain Caden Smith gave Lewiston a 2-1 lead by keeping the puck on a 2-on-1 before firing a shot past EL goalie Devon D’Auteuil, then he scored again 51 seconds later from Pelletier after picking up a loose puck in the left circle and beating D’Auteuil again.

“That’s what you want your senior captains to do, and he had a couple good looks to the net and buried them. So good for him,” Belleau said. “So we were fortunate, and we were able to weather the storm after that.”

The storm came in the form of two EL power plays, the first of which came with 1:15 left in the second. Lewiston goalie Jacob Smith made a save at the buzzer to end the second, then stopped a pair of Dylan Campbell rips in the man-advantage time that carried over into the third.

“We got a little off in the second period when I tried to make some changes on my power play. But we went out in the 45 seconds, that last part, and got some good opportunities on that 45,” Gagne said. “I wanted to score so bad. I figured if we could have got one there we could have got right back in it, and we needed that little spark, you know, that spark that we’re looking for.”

The Red Eddies got another power-play opportunity midway through the third, and put three shots on Smith, including a Will Cassidy point shot followed by a rebound try by Ben Cassidy late in the man-advantage. Just after the game went to even strength Smith made a stop on Wesley Clements before Ben Cassidy missed just wide on the put-back attempt.

Of Smith’s 19 saves, 11 came in the third period.

“He played outstanding for us. He kept us in the game late,” Belleau said. “So, again, you know, you want your seniors to step up big for you, and he did as well. So I told him he did a heck of a job tonight.”

D’Auteuil stopped 18 of 21 shots for the Red Eddies.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com

Edward Little High School goalie Devon D’Auteuil blocks a shot by Michael Belleau of Lewiston High School during the second period in Lewiston on Tuesday. Cam Audette (13) of Edward Little defends on the play. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Kurtis Pelletier of Lewiston High School slips the puck behind Edward Little High School goalie Devon D’Auteuil for a first period goal to tie the game 1-1 in Lewiston on Tuesday. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Caden Smith, right, of Lewiston High School celebrates with Damon Bossie after Smith scored his second goal of the second period against Edward Little High School on Tuesday. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Caden Smith of Lewiston High School shoots on goal to score the first of his two second period goals during Tuesday’s game against Edward Little High School. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)