PORTLAND — Over recent seasons, Biddeford has been a place where brother acts seem to flourish.

Among the latest examples are the Brothers Grebin (Cory and Jeremy, now together again on the Tigers coaching staff), Fleurent I (Tyler and Trevor), and Fleurent II (Trevor and Brady).

To that fraternal fraternity can be added the Brothers Lemieux ”“ senior co-captain Mario and sophomore Nik ”“ both of whom played a large part in the Tigers’ 4-1 triumph over Cheverus (2-1), in a Western Class A boys hockey tilt played at Portland Ice Arena Thursday night.

Nik Lemieux potted a pair of goals then dished off to Mario for another, one that helped break open the hotly contested affair.

“It’s been great working with him,” said Mario, a center, who, yes, was named for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Hall of Famer. “I was kind of surprised. But I thought I’d try him on my line, and it seems to working great.”

It worked flawlessly on the game’s opening tally, which Nik potted at 5:58 of the opening period.

Dragging the puck down the slot, Mario spotted Nik wide open at the left post and threaded him a pass. Nik promptly slammed it home.

“I actually tried getting a shot off,” said Mario, “but I saw him back door. I slid it over and he put it in.

“We know where each other is on the ice, and we work pretty well together.”

Nik said that he was able to slow the play down in his mind’s eye.

“It was pretty slow motion,” he said. “My first instinct was to just throw it on the net.”

The execution on that play was enough to make Biddeford coach Rich Reissfelder’s jaw drop.

“It was a beautiful play,” said Reissfelder. “I don’t usually let out a primal scream like that after a goal. You could see the whole thing develop.”

Liam Fitzpatrick knotted the score, 1-1, for Cheverus at 13:48, when he jammed a loose puck past Tigers goalie Jon Fields. Nik Lemieux’s instincts, however, paid off again, when at 3:23 of the second period, he took a shot from the low right side and managed to squeeze it in past Stags’ goalie Mike Haas-Zanghi to make it 2-1.

“I had a lane and I just drove it to the net,” Nik said.

Said Mario, “It’s great to see him succeeding at such a young age. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

Both teams encountered penalty trouble in that stanza, with Biddeford (2-1) being forced to kill off a pair of two-man shortages.

Still, the Tigers nursed the one-goal advantage deep into the third period, until 11:43, when Nik turned playmaker and set up Mario in the slot for a back handed one-timer.

“When you play with some desperation sometimes,” said Mario. “Even when you’re up a couple goals. It pays off.”

It was a finish to the sort of pin-point play that often seems to require a sixth sense.

“The Fleurent chemistry is unreal,” said Mario. “Sometimes, it might be hard to match. But we have our great moments, and we’ll live off those.”

Taylor Reuillard, who had an apparent first period goal waved off for a crease violation, capped the scoring in the final minute with an empty netter.

Biddeford will take to the ice again Monday when it will host Greely. Newly elected Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant is slated to take part in a ceremonial opening puck drop.

— Contact Dan Hickling at 282-1535 or follow on Twitter @DanHickling.