Boasting a reinvigorated lineup that exploded for seven goals the previous week, the Comets were hoping to build on that momentum by coming out firing for three full periods.

Plus, facing a Montagnards team that was undefeated at home heading into the game, the boys from Coulonge were extra motivated to go home on a high note.

In the first period, the Comets capitalized early. Just under four minutes in, Stephen Blunden scored his second goal of the season assisted by Stéphane Paré and Maxime Belley.

A few minutes later, Mont-Laurier answered with one of their own making it 1-1.

But at around the 10-minute mark, the Comets regained the advantage, as defenseman Benoit Nadon notched his first goal of the campaign set up by Matthew Warren and Ryan Peck.

Stopping 16 of 17 Montangards shots, Comets’ netminder Danick Boisvert had a busy first 20 minutes but held his own.

With around a minute left in the frame, Comets’ forward Justin Charbonneau made it 3-1 with his third goal of the year assisted by Justin Lafleur and Darcy Findlay.

In the second period, the Comets continued to get outshot. But their deffence held up and around five minutes into the frame, Guillaume Gregoire scored his third goal of the season assisted by Warren and Nadon. Less than two minutes later, Findlay made it 5-1 with his third tally of the campaign assisted by Alek Deblois and Charbonneau.

In the third period, the Comets knew that all they had to do was continue to shut out a typically potent Mont-Laurier offense to come out with the two points.

But at around the half-way point of the frame, Deblois extended the Comets’ seemingly insurmountable lead to 6-1 with a shorthanded marker assisted by Charbonneau and Nadon.

The Montagnards put the pressure on all period, throwing 19 shots towards the Comets’ net, but Boisvert made the stops he needed to keep the Montagnards from coming back in the game.

In the final eight minutes of the contest, Mont-Laurier followed up with three straight goals making things somewhat interesting. But it was too late and the Comets came home with the 6-4 win.

With an impressive 48 saves on 52 shots (.923 save percentage), Boisvert took home the night’s first star, while Warren earned second star honours with a two-assist night.

After the game, Comets’ head coach Jean-Francois Lavergne said that his team was more than ready to shut down a Mont-Laurier squad with a dynamic offense.

Having played them a couple of weeks before, he and his players knew what to expect from them.

“We knew how they were going to play against us,” he said.

Having handed the Montagnards their first home loss of the season while winning their second Lavergne noted that his team seems to have found itself in the last few games – a positive sign for things to come.

“It’s been two-three games where we’ve performed well,” he said.

Assessing his team’s overall performance, Lavergne praised his players’ opportunism on the offensive end, their execution with the puck as well as their team defense.

“We still gave up a lot of shots,” he said. “But we really limited their scoring chances.”

He also highlighted the importance of Boisvert’s stellar play in net as one of the key factors in the result.

“Once again, he was really solid,” he said.

Lastly, he was delighted with his team’s discipline, which limited a dangerous Mont-Laurier powerplay to one for five on the night.

“That allowed us to stay in the game,” he said.

Going into their next tilt against the first place Maniwaki Forestier (5-1-0), the Comets will look for their third straight win.

Earlier this season, the Comets handed Maniwaki their only loss of the season with a 7-2 stomping in their own barn, before the Forestiers returned the favour with a 7-2 win of their own a few weeks later.

Coming into next Saturday’s game as underdogs, Lavergne knows it won’t be an easy task. However, he’s a firm believer that his group has what it takes to bring down the Forestiers once again.

“We’re not going to hide it,” he said. “They’re the best team in the league this year… but I have lot of confidence. We have character. Sometimes, we’re not the most explosive, impressive team to watch. But we do the little things to win. We’re capable of beating anybody in this league and Maniwaki is a great challenge for us.”

For their next game, the Comets can bring their record back to .500, as they will host the Maniwaki Forestiers on Nov. 16.

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