LEWISTON – Seven must truly be lucky.

Despite a much better effort from the Halifax Mooseheads and many moments of sub-par execution from Lewiston, the Maineiacs hammered out a 4-1 win over the visiting Herd in front of 2,949 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Friday night to win their seventh straight game, equalling the franchise record.

“The end result was good, for sure,” said Maineiacs head coach Clem Jodoin. “Sometimes, you can win games like that even though the execution wasn’t perfect. The kids, they have it in their heads now, the winning. I think they know they can do it.”

Stefan Chaput tallied two goals for Lewiston (17-5-0-2), including an empty-netter with 32 seconds to play to ice the game. Simon Courcelles added a goal and an assist, Pierre-Luc Faubert had a goal and Jonathan Bernier made 29 saves on 30 shots to earn his 15th win in 20 games.

Halifax, meanwhile, played a better game through the center zone Friday than it had Thursday, and limited Lewiston to just 20 shots on goal, less than half of the Maineiacs’ total Thursday.

“We took away their speed a little bit,” said Halifax coach Cam Russell. “We had a different forecheck in the neutral zone, played more of a conservative style, and that’s what you have to do against a team like that.”

“We put the puck more toward the middle and we probably should have chipped it more over them,” said Chaput.

But the Maineiacs fought through the neutral zone enough — at least three times in the first 40 minutes — and pushed three pucks past netminder Jeremy Duchesne, thanks mostly to better foot speed in the offensive zone.

“We’re a fast team, and any time we can take advantage of that we’re going to,” said Courcelles.

Chaput put the Maineiacs ahead 1-0. At 11:51 of the first period, Chaput sniped the top left corner of the net through a screen on a pass from the corner by Marc-Andre Daneau.

“(Marc-Andre) Crete stopped the puck on the rush, he gave it to Daneau and Daneau gave it to me out front,” said Chaput. “I took a shot blocker side, knowing that Bundil was over there if there was a rebound, but I don’t think Duchesne saw it.”

Bernier was tested more often and earlier, but he again proved up to the task, helping the Maineiacs kill off three Halifax power plays. On the other end, Duchesne was only challenged eight times in the opening frame.

“He stopped the puck when he had to,” said Jodoin. “He’s a first-round pick, that’s what he needs to do.”

The Mooseheads struck first in the second period, just 29 seconds in, on a Colby Pridham goal that snuck between Bernier’s left skate and the post.

Lewiston responded with a power play marker of its own at 4:44 when Courcelles redirected a Chad Denny wrist shot through Duchesne’s pads from the top of the crease.

Faubert added his 12th of the year at 14:33 of the period to put Lewiston ahead 3-1.

NOTES: Lewiston is now atop the QMJHL standings again after Cape Breton blew a 3-1 lead in the third period at Chicoutimi on Friday night, losing 4-3 with two seconds left to play. Lewiston, in 24 games, has 36 points. Cape Breton, though 27 games, has 35. Val d’Or also has 35 after a 4-3 win over Drummondville on Friday…The Maineiacs’ radio broadcasts, available until now only by listening to ESPN 1470, will now be broadcast live online as well, for those listeners outside the radio station’s range. The link to the games is on the Maineiacs’ Web site…Chaput played in his 100th career game Friday night…Halifax forward Jakub Voracek was held without a point in both games against Lewiston this week. The top prospect has at least one point in 20 of his 26 games this season, though each time he has been held scoreless, it has been for a two-game stretch.

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