AUBURN – Sophie stayed.
When other top girls’ hockey players were leaving Maine high schools before their senior season, Sophie Goulet remained at St. Dominic Academy.
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Others opted for prep schools or academies geared toward hockey. Goulet had an opportunity to attend such an academy.
“I almost went that route,” she said. “I decided I should stay at St. Dom’s. The education is better and that’s more important.”
But hockey certainly takes up time in Goulet’s life. She’s been playing since she was 4. She knows the game and knows how to win.
With Goulet’s leadership and talent, she pushed the Saints to a 20-1 record and the state championship. The one loss came when Goulet and other top players were absent, attending a showcase for college scouts.
Goulet is the Maine Sunday Telegram girls’ hockey MVP.
“When she was out there, her intensity level was so high she made everyone else work harder,” Saints Coach Don Boucher said.
And if she wasn’t leading by example, she could get vocal, too.
“She was not a shy person on the bench,” Boucher said. “She tried to get everyone to play their best.”
Goulet admitted she has “never been afraid to say what I’m thinking. When I was an underclassmen, my teammates were loud and motivating. I knew that was the kind of leader I wanted to be.”
On the ice, Goulet was a force, adjusting to the flow of the game. She could push the action, feeding her teammates or driving in for a wrist shot. Above all, she was a playmaker.
“It’s important to use all the players on the ice,” Goulet said, “because if it’s just one player, it’s easier to target her and shut her down.
“Having (talented teammates) made it easier.”
Being part of such a dominant team, Goulet could stay back while her teammates controlled the puck down low. Should the other team get possession, Goulet was there to stop their progress. She could pass it back up ice or make an end-to-end rush.
Simply put, Goulet controlled the game.
“She sees the ice extremely well,” Boucher said. “She sees the game develop in front of her.
“Her hockey IQ helps set her apart from other top skaters.”
Goulet is not sure if she will play hockey in college. She hopes so.
“I have hockey in mind, but I have to look to the future,” she said.
“There is more to (life than) hockey, as much as I hate to say it.”
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:
kthomas@pressherald.com
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