L/A Nordiques’ Joshua Sanchez keeps the puck away from Northeast Generals’ Alberto Pison during the hockey game in the Colisee in Lewiston on Saturday. Joshua Malone watches the play from the left. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)
LEWISTON — The L/A Nordiques had their 12-game unbeaten streak to start the season broken by the Northeast Generals on Oct. 13.
Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, the Nordiques returned the favor, snapping the Generals’ 13-game winning streak with a back-and-forth 3-2 victory. L/A improves to 25-1 on the season.
“We had a couple of guys who weren’t playing in that (Oct. 13) game, and we got those guys back in the lineup,” Nordiques defenseman JP Chauvin said. “We executed pretty well tonight.”
Chauvin and forward Jared Katz each had a goal and a helper to lead the Nordiques. Goaltender Owen Liskiewicz, who signed on Thursday, made his Nordiques debut and had 32 saves in the win.
The game had a playoff vibe from the start, as neither team was afraid to throw their bodies around. As the game settled down a bit, it was the Generals who got the upper hand.
They were able to pin the Nordiques in deep and pepper Liskiewicz, who made a couple of big saves in the middle of the period. The Nordiques tried to dump and chase to set up their offense, but the Generals defended it well and cleared the puck out of the zone.
Northeast finally broke the 0-0 deadlock when Deacon More set up in the slot and fired home the puck with 2:36 remaining in the first period.
“They are good team, they play a very straight-lined, get-the-puck-deep, get-pucks-to-the-net and grind-it-out type of game,” Nordiques coach Cam Robichaud said. “We haven’t had a ton of those opponents this year. It’s always an adjustment and I attest our first period to that because we aren’t use to that.”
The Generals almost got a two-goal lead early in the second period when captain Marc Faia hit the post in the early seconds of the stanza. The Nordiques took advantage, taking the puck down to their offensive zone where Colby Audette scored his 24th goal of the season 50 seconds into the period.
Katz, who was acquired Thursday, picked up an assist along with Cole Ouellette, who had two on the night.
L/A had the game’s first power play when Stephen Gerbis went off for hooking, but only had one shot officially on goal on the man advantage. They appeared to go on their second power play when Carson Asper was called for roughing for taking an extra shot at Liskiewicz after the whistle. As referee Jessica Leclrec was putting Asper in the box, though, Armand O’Keefe skated by and said something to Leclerc that earned O’Keefe an unsportsmanlike penalty, and the teams skated 4-on-4.
The Nordiques received a power play at the end of the second period that carried over into the third. The Generals killed the penalty, and Sam Frechette put the Nordiques in a short-handed situation when he was called for high sticking 1:51 into the final period. The Generals set up their power play, and Tyler Rudek fed Tami Merilainen for the go-ahead goal at the 2:17 mark.
Katz took a couple of back-to-back penalties after Frechette’s penalty, but the Nordiques’ penalty killers did their jobs and killed off the power plays.
“In my mind, I might be going crazy, but I had to make sure the boys are calmed and staying focused,” Robichaud said. “I can’t tell you the things I am saying in my own mind because it’s not appropriate for the Sun Journal, but what I am telling the boys, you win or lose on special teams.”
Robichaud did say he thought there were soft calls that went against both teams and that the officials tried to even out the penalties for both teams as best as they could.
Northeast coach Daryl Locke declined to comment after the game.
Katz tied the game on the power play when he tipped in a Chauvin point shot to tie the game at 2-2 with 7:57 remaining in the game.
“I was trying to get the puck to the net,” Chauvin said. “I knew Katz was in front. Coach said get the pucks to the net, keep them low and good things will happen.”
The turning point of the game came with 3:37 remaining when Asper took a couple of strides and elbowed Joe Bisson in the head. Bisson went down, but played resumed for a couple of seconds before play was stopped when L/A’s Kyle Secor and Asper dropped the gloves. Both were ejected for fighting, with Asper getting another game misconduct and a five-minute major for elbowing.
With three minutes remaining, Chauvin skated around the net on the 4-on-3 power play and went top shelf for the unassisted tally. Nordiques were 2-for-6 on the man advantage.
“It was a good look from Audette and I just finished the play off,” Chauvin said.
The Generals were 1-for-5 on the power play, and goalie Jeb Barrett turned aside 28 shots.
L/A Nordiques’ Joe Bisson is chased around the back of the net by Alberto Pison during Saturday night’s game at the Colisee in Lewiston. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)
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