End of game: The comeback kids strike again. Down 3-2 heading into the third period, the Lewiston Maineiacs scored three unanswered goals to secure a 5-3 win and 3-0 lead in the QMJHL championship series against Val-d’Or.
The Maineiacs will go for the sweep Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
0:04: Pierre-Luc Faubert scores to secure a 3-0 series lead for the Lewiston Maineiacs.
Less than 7:00 remaining: Both teams are back to full strength. Lewiston leads, 4-3.
Less than 8:00 remaining: Both teams have a player sent to the penalty box.
9:31 remains in third period: Chad Denny nets his 10th goal of the playoffs to put Lewiston ahead, 4-3.
10:53 remains in third period: Marc-Andre Cliche beats the goalie coming up the left side, tying the score at 3.
Beginning of third period: Score remains 3-2 Val-d’Or, as the Maineiacs kill off an early power play for the Foreurs.
End of the second period: For the first time in this series, the Maineiacs will begin the third period trailing the Foreurs. A late goal by Mathieu Roy on a rebound in front of Bernier has give the Foreurs a 3-2 edge after two period. Also, the Foreurs have roared back on the shot clock, registering a 12-4 advantage that period to take the overall lead, 18-16.
1:00 to play in the second: Lewiston will go shorthanded after David Perron got his stick caught in a Foreur player’s skate. Val d’Or leads, 3-2.
1:47 to play in the second: Val d’Or has a bit of extra jump in its step, and the crowd is VERY much back into this game. Val d’Or leads, 3-2.
3:39 to play in the second: Mathieu Roy pokes a rebound past Bernier after a 2-on-1 by Brad Marchand and Jerome Samson yielded the rebound to Bernier’s right. Val-d’Or leads, 3-2.
4:36 to play in the second: Both teams have hit pipes this period. Val d’Or has a bit more jump than in the first, but since an early flurry gave the Foreurs a goal, the Maineiacs have replied on a random bounce from behind the net to even the score again. Score is tied, 2-2.
Nearing end of second period: The game remains knotted at 2, despite a couple of good opportunities for Val-d’Or.
Less than 8 minutes to go in second period: Chris Tutalo puts away a rebound to tie the game at two.
Midway through second period: Val-d’Or breaks the tie with a rush on goal. Val-d’Or leads 2-1.
18:43: Val-d’Or killed off both power plays, including a 5-on-3. Score still tied, 1-1.
19:40: Marc-Andre Cliche hits the crossbar, but no goal. Score tied, 1-1.
End of the first period: Lewiston almost grabs the lead at the end of the period on a David Perron chance in front, but his stick is knocked away from the puck at the last second. Some rough stuff at the end of the period hasn’t appeared to yield any more penalties. The teams skate to the intermission, tied at 1-1.
1:03 to play in the first: Henrick Lavoie and Chad Denny each get a penalty, off-setting. Score still tied, 1-1.
1:43 to play in the first: Val-d’Or takes the first penalty of the game, a roughing call to Justin Saulnier and Felix Schutz after a scrum in front. Lewiston to the power play with a one-man advantage, because Michal Korenko also called for roughing. Score is tied, 1-1.
2:14 to play in the first: The crowd is incensed over a non-call against the Maineiacs. Faceoff to Bernier’s left. Score still tied, 1-1.
3:28 to play in the first: Faceoff to Bernier’s right.
5:20 to play in the first: Neither team able to really establish a rhythm anymore, both locking down defensively. Score remains tied, 1-1.
6:23 to play in the first: Val-d’Or finally applying some pressure, but still unable to get any shots. Score tied at 1.
7:54 to play in the first: Faceoff to Bernier’s right after the Foreurs finall yog a shot on Bernier from the high slot. Lewiston leads in shots, 6-3. The score is tied, 1-1.
8:36 to play in the first: The teams have reached the media timeout still deadlocked at one. Lewiston’s fourth line of Manson, Bundil and Taylor applied some of the best pressure from either side for a full minute prior to the break.
10:29 to play in the first: Lewiston now controlling much of the play. Val-d’Or having a hard time getting set through the center zone. Score is tied, 1-1.
12:26 to play in the first: Jakub Bundil has tied the game on a tip-in from the left post on a feed from David Taylor.
15:23 to play in the first: Kristopher Letang slides the puck through traffic on a feed from Brad Marchand to draw first blood. The Foreurs lead, 1-0.
16:44 to play in the first: Lewiston has spent some time in the Val-d’Or zone, but has managed just one shot.
18:16 to play in the first: An icing call against Val -d’Or is the first whistle of the game. The teams are still looking to feel each other out.
19:59 to play in the first: We are under way in Val-d’Or.
Pre-game: The players have taken the ice to thunderous noise, emanating from both the speakers and from the partisan crowd, which has filled in the arena well. The crowd is waving and clapping green and white thundersticks, too, adding to the noise.
The anthems are now being sung.
Val d’Or starters: G – Jeremy Duchesne F – Jerome Samson F – Mathieu Roy F – Brad Marchand D – Louis Etienne-Leblanc D – Sebastien Bisaillon Lewiston starters: G – Jonathan Bernier F – Marc-Andre Daneau F – Eric Castonguay F – Stefan Chaput D – Michael Ward D – Kevin Marshall
11:00 to go before the players return to the ice: The skaters have all gone back to their respective dressing rooms. As has become his custom, Lewiston’s David Perron was the last to step off of the ice, taking an extra minute beyond his teammates to stickhandle and shoot by himself.
The Zamboni ice machine continues to do its laps, and the seats are starting to fill in. Announcements ring out from the speakers, piercing the ear drums of those closer to the rafters than others. (Ouch).
27:00 left until faceoff: The teams have taken to the ice for warmups, the Maineiacs skating in their road black jerseys to the right side of the press box, and will be moving across the rink from my right to left.
The Foreurs will start skating from left to right in their home white sweaters trimmed in black, green and gold.
The crowd is a bit smaller this early, but with the noise being pumped in through the speakers, along with the people who are here, this place is already rocking.
The doors to the Air Creebec Centre flung open as if pushed by the cascading waters of the Androscoggin River at exactly 5:45 Tuesday night. Patrons flew past arena staff, looking to secure the best vantage points from which to view the game. Many of them have still not moved.
In addition to all of the seated areas in the arena, including the luxury boxes, the arena sold more than 900 standing room tickets.
The electricity is already flowing.Below the tiny press box full of way too many media folks, the Maineiacs let out a wild whoop as they warmed up by jumping in place.
The Foreurs, meanwhile, ran a lap among their fans along the walkway, slapping high-fives along the way. The teams are ready.
The lineups remain largely unchanged. Two minor changes for Lewiston, as David Taylor is in to replace Danick Paquette, and Patrick Cusack is in to replace Tom Michalik.
Stay with us all night for live updates, both in print and in pictures. We’ll have updates starting in about 15 minutes. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
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