By Justin Pelletier,Staff Writer

MONCTON, New Brunswick – The Lewiston Maineiacs were at the top of a precipice on Saturday night.

Like the hiker, who starts with solid footing and all of a sudden slips on some loose gravel and falls, they needed a carabiner.

Enter Jonathan Bernier.

Bernier made 37 saves, including 20 in the third period, as Lewiston shot out to a 3-0 lead against the Moncton Wildcats and held on for a 3-2 win in front of 5,674 at the Moncton Coliseum.

“I told the guys that we had to make a good impression,” said Maineiacs head coach Clem Jodoin. “We still have to play them seven more times this year, so you have to put some doubts in their mind. We did that.”

Bernier, who looked softer than usual Friday night in a 5-2 loss at Saint John, was stellar in the third period, turning aside 20 of 21 shots, most of which came on four Moncton power plays.

“Sometimes you’ll have those chances and sometimes they won’t go in, and sometimes you meet a hot goaltender,” said Moncton coach Ted Nolan. “Certainly tonight (Bernier) was very hot and, while we didn’t create too much traffic, he played very well.”

“Let’s give credit to Bernier,” said Jodoin. “He made the good saves. Let’s give credit to the guys that played in front of him, because I’m telling you, they worked hard out there.”

According to Jodoin, the Maineiacs had to work especially hard to overcome some suspect calls by referee Edward Russell.

“He wasn’t calling the game by the rules,” said Jodoin. “I think he forgot to read the new rule book. We had 12 minor penalties. Okay, that’s 24 minutes, close to 30 minutes, half a game, on the PK. If we had been stupid, okay, but we weren’t tonight. I don’t think this is our approach. I don’t think this is what the league wants to see.”

With the win Lewiston lifted its record to 3-1-0-1, while Moncton lost its first game of the season and fell to 5-1.

Eighteen-year-old Guillaume Blouin played well for Moncton, stopping 23 of 26 shots.

Lewiston only had one chance with an extra skater in the first period, a low total compared to recent games, but the Maineiacs made it count.

Mathieu Aubin won a face-off and tipped the puck back to Chad Denny at the point. Denny unleashed a slapshot that found its way through a screen in front of Blouin and into the top corner just underneath the crossbar.

“I was just trying to shoot it and hope for a deflection,” said Denny. “I tried to keep it low.”

Denny was awarded the game’s first star for his efforts on defense and on offense, where he played some shifts to spell injured forwards Derek Bailey and Marc-Andre Cliche.

“They said it’s going to continue, too, as long as I can keep playing up front without making too many mistakes,” said Denny. “They want to be able to rely on me if I can go down or stay back.”

Moncton, which has been solid on the power play so far this season, had four opportunities with an extra skater in the first and could not put the puck past Bernier.

Bernier did rob two Wildcat forwards, once with a brilliant left pad save on an Ian Girard deke in front, and another on an Oscars Bartulis shot from the left point with his catching glove.

“The players did a good job in front of me tonight,” said Bernier. “(Friday) night was just bad, but tonight it was different. It helped, too, that they gave me an early lead.”

Moncton enjoyed another four opportunities with the extra skater in the second period and did capitalize on one of them. Keith Yandle, who shunned the University of Maine over the summer in favor of playing for the Wildcats, fired a wrist shot through traffic that beat Bernier 5-hole for his fourth goal of the year. By that point, though, the Wildcats were playing catch-up thanks to two Lewiston early second-period goals.

Stefano Giliati gave the Maineiacs a 2-0 lead at 6:05 with a rebound goal off a Denny shot on the power play.

Aubin made it 3-0 when a puck from Brandon Roach rode up Aubin’s stick in front of the net and sailed over Blouin’s shoulder.

“I think we started very slowly,” said Nolan. “We didn’t have that competitive edge, battling for pucks. We went out there very nonchalantly and because you have some success and you’re winning sometimes it’s easy to do that.”

Lewiston concludes their six-game, 10-day road trip tonight in Charlottetown, P.E.I., against the Rocket.