Opening statement
Sophomore slide much? After spending all of the 2009-10 campaign in the AHL, second-year pro Alain Goulet played the better part of last season with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. Although after his demotion following the P-Bruins season opener, he made good of a recall in March and ultimately saw action in 15 more AHL games.
2010-11 Highlights (With Reading and Providence)
· Started the month of January with a five-game point-getting streak (two goals, three assists).
· Nailed two assists in a single game on three occasions with the Royals, all of them at the expense of the Trenton Devils.
· Inserted the eventual clincher in his first game back with Providence on March 4, snapping a 2-2 tie on a power play en route to a 4-2 home win over the Charlotte Checkers.
· Assisted on three goals, including two of the team’s three power play strikes, in the P-Bruins’ 6-0 romp over Bridgeport March 6.
2010-11 Lowlights
· Was on the ice for three opposing goals in Reading’s 7-2 loss to the Elmira Jackals Oct. 23.
· Held pointless in 14 consecutive ECHL games between Nov. 14 and Dec. 19.
· Pitched in only three points within 20 games during the months of November and December.
· Finished the evening with a minus-1 rating in four consecutive appearances with the P-Bruins (March 9-13).
· Endured a minus-3 rating in Game 1 of the Kelly Cup semifinals, an 8-3 loss to the Kalamazoo Wings.
2011-12 Outlook
Of the non-NHL defensemen in the Bruins family, Goulet figures to rank somewhere between seventh and ninth on the depth chart. Another split ECHL/AHL season is likely in store, if only due to the traffic that has hustled ahead of him. But if he can pick up his performance and build upon his March-long call-up, Goulet will likely garner more regular appearances in Providence than last season.
