Etienne Brodeur has never been one to shy away from physical contact.

The burly 19-year-old forward, originally draft by the Lewiston Maineiacs in the first round of the 2008 QMJHL entry draft as a 17-year-old, has racked up as many bone-crunching hits (if not more) as he has points. He’s a grinder by trade, plugging away on the team’s third line, making opponents’ top lines pay the price for taking him lightly in the corners. He’s also been a key component of the team’s penalty kill.

But scoring goals, that’s been a whole other matter. Sure, the heart-heavy speedster (don’t let his size fool you, he can scoot) netted 18 goals in 62 games last season.

But there are more than two dozen “could-have-beens,” too. For whatever reason, Brodeur, who had a knack for escaping on breakaways with his speed, couldn’t finish. At the Androscoggin Bank Colisee alone last season, Brodeur was 1-for-27 in a 1-on-0 situation.

He took a giant step toward erasing that stigma Friday, netting a goal on his first breakaway chance and finishing 1-for-2 in that department.

“We’re been working with him a lot,” Maineiacs’ coach J.F. Houle said. “(Associate coach) Darren Rumble has been helping him with a few moves, trying to get his confidence up around the net.”

I worked hard at it with (Rumble),” Brodeur said. “It was good to get one early, it helps with my confidence.”

The move Brodeur pulled to score? A seemingly-simple drag move with a quick backhand flip through the five-hole.

“That’s one of the three or four I’ve been working on,” Brodeur admitted.

His two goals (his first came on a loose puck in front of the cage) were instrumental in lifting the Maineiacs’ efforts off the ground in an 8-3 victory over Rimouski in the first game of the season.

“Hopefully we can keep winning,” Brodeur said.

If he can continue finding the back of the net, the Maineiacs will have a much better chance.