Having already defeated the Forestiers on two occasions this season, including a dominant 8-3 performance the week prior, the boys from Coulonge were confident heading into the game and ready to come out firing.

In the first period, the Comet’s combination of speed and relentless work-ethic made them a problem for the Forestiers, as they kept the majority of puck possession for the first 20 minutes.

Five and a half minutes in, the Comets struck first, drawing plenty of cheers from the hometown faithful.

They followed up with two more goals in quick succession, including a break-away snipe from Justin Charbonneau and a clinical finish from captain Darcy Findlay to make it a 3-1 game by the mid-way point of the frame.

Maniwaki answered with one of their own with just under 10 minutes left, but the Comets responded with a late-period marker of their own, making it 4-1 heading into the break and causing the Forestiers to make a goalie change.

In the second period, the Comets continued to apply pressure on the Forestiers back end and, around five minutes in, Charbonneau made it 5-1 on his second goal of the game on a beautiful back-door feed from Hugo Petit.

The Forestiers managed to claw themselves back into the game with two straight goals before the closing stages of the period, making it 5-3.

However, shortly before the buzzer went off, Comets’ defenseman Benoit Nadon made it 6-3 with his second of the campaign, following a hectic sequence that involved around a half dozen spectacular saves from the Maniwaki goalie before the puck finally sailed in the net.

In the third period, the Comets continued to give the Forestiers their all and were rewarded for their efforts early. Near the half-way mark of the frame, Comets’ forward Ryan Peck finished off a two-on-one pass by going forehand to backhand over the left pad of the hapless goaltender making it 7-3.

While the score line seemed to indicate that the game was out of reach, the Forestiers gained momentum in the closing minutes of the game, thanks to a number of powerplays and almost pulled off an improbable comeback.

Despite having their backs against the wall, after allowing three quick goals Comets’ goaltender Danick Boisvert held the fort en route to first-star honours along with the victory.

After the game, Comets’ head coach Jean-Francois Lavergne highlighted his team’s level of confidence heading into the game, having already defeated Maniwaki at home the week prior.

“The players really believe in themselves,” he said. “We knew we could beat them. It’s the third time we’ve beaten them this year. They’re a really good team and we know that and we know that we can beat any team in this league.”

Delighted with his team’s fast start, he pointed to his player’s offensive execution in the early stages of the game combined with their stifling team-defense as the main factors in getting the win.

“We create a lot of chances with our speed,” he said. “We play well defensively and we create chances in transition and we’re opportunistic. When it’s time to get a goal, we put the puck in the net.”

“We have character,” he added. “We never gave up. At the end, we went to war, we blocked shots to win the game and we won it.”

Unsatisfied with how his team closed out the game, on the other hand – nearly giving up a four-goal lead in the final 10 minutes of the game – he admitted that his guys could’ve done a better job of supporting their netminder.

“We gave up six goals,” he said. “I think we could’ve limited that. But once again, Danick did an amazing job in net.”

Coming off their fourth straight victory, Lavergne isn’t worried about his team becoming complacent going forward. Knowing his player’s track-records on and off the ice, all that he’s focused on is preparing his group for their next opponent.

“They’re adults and they’re guys who prepare themselves well for games,” he said. “We’re not thinking about a four-game win streak. They guys get on the ice and their goal is to win every weekend. It’s not hard to prepare and motivate them.”

Up next, the Comets’s homestand will continue as they will host back to back games against the Mont-Tremblant Diables at 8 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday respectively.

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