Now at 10-4-0, the Comets sit in first place of the Outaouais Senior AA Hockey League (OSAAHL) standings, two points ahead of the Mont-Laurier Montagnards.

Coming back from the holiday break, both teams knew that there would be some rust to kick off in the early goings of the game.

But having beaten the Forestiers in each of their previous three meetings, the Comets were committed to continuing their dominance by coming out strong early.

In the first period, things started off well for the boys from Coulonge, as Mitchell Gibson netted his fifth of the season assisted by Stephen Blunden just over a minute in.

At around the mid-way point of the period, Maniwaki made it 2-1 with back to back goals. By the end of the frame, the Forestiers dominated the shot department 23 to 14.

Just under four minutes into the second period, the Comets bounced back with Ryan Peck’s fifth of the year coming off assists from Ben Harris and Xavier Marangere.

Less than four minutes later, Olivier Donovan made it 3-2 Comets, with his second tally of the season on the penalty kill. Shots in the second period were 16 to 11 for the Comets.

Heading in the third period, the Comets were ready for an offensive onslaught. So, they knew that they needed to show a certain sense of character to shut down Maniwaki’s potent playmakers and get the win.

Just under four minutes in the frame, Maniwaki tied things up at three apiece.

Just 18 seconds later, Matthew Warren restored the Comets’ lead with his league-leading 13th goal of the season.

Around a minute and a half later, Captain Darcy Findlay solidified the Comets’ advantage with his seventh of the year assisted by Blunden.

Maniwaki made it 5-4, in the final minute. But it wasn’t enough, as the Comets’ prevailed with their 10th win of the season.

After stopping 48 of 52 shots, Comets’ goaltender Danick Boisvert earned first star honours, while Peck got the third star with an important goal.

After the game, Comet’s head coach Jean-Francois Lavergne said that, despite a rough first period, he was happy with his team’s performance.

Most notably, he praised his team’s resilience for clawing themselves back in the game through the second and third periods.

“That’s what I loved, that our team came back,” he said.

He added that he loved his team’s defensive presence, stating that his players did a great job of shutting down the opposition’s offensive threats.

“We showed a lot of character,” he said. “We blocked shots and we worked to protect our lead. I really appreciated the support from our players.”

With a chance to extend their winning streak to 10 games next week, Lavergne said that rather than dwelling on previous results, it’s crucial for his players to not get too complacent and to focus on the task ahead.

“We’re staying positive,” he said. “That’s the way we’re approaching every game. That’s our philosophy. We tell ourselves that we’re going to get the next games, we’re going to get the next goal.”

Looking ahead at three consecutive game against Mont-Laurier, the Comets’ next stretch of games will be crucial as far as how the OSAAHL’s standings shake up, Lavergne said.

But the most important thing is taking things one game at a time.

“Yes, we’re in first place,” he said. “But Mont-Laurier is continuing to win and we especially don’t want to take things lightly. They’re following us closely.”

For their next game, the Comets will host the Mont-Laurier Montagnards at home on Jan. 11.

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