YEAR IN REVIEW: BOUCHER'S RECORD BREAKING SEASON
May 22, 2019Records were made to be broken. Especially if they’re already your own.
Reid Boucher burst onto the Utica scene during the 2017-18 season by showcasing a world-class shot and an insatiable appetite for scoring goals. He rang them up that season to the tune of 25 total goals, establishing a new single-season record for a Comet.
Starting the 2018-19 season with sky-high expectations, Boucher met, and then blew away, each one. He started the season with two goals in three of his first four games, and eight-total goals through his first five games. It didn’t take long for fans to recognize that he had found a new level of play.
Quiet and reserved off the ice, Boucher plays the game with a fire that is unmatched. Generating whip from his stick like it’s a rubber band, his wrist shot has been known to cause AHL goaltenders to lose sleep.
All year long, the high-scoring forward stayed atop the Comets’ team lead for goals and points, and his offensive production ranked near the top of the entire AHL.
For the second straight season, he was tapped to represent the team at the AHL All-Star Classic, where he was able to put his skills on full display. While in Springfield for the mid-season event, Boucher earned the title as the league’s most accurate shooter, and helped the North Division defend their All-Star Classic championship during the three-on-three tournament.
As the season progressed, Boucher inched towards his 25-goal mark and a new franchise record. On February 27 against the Rochester Americans, and with the Comets on the power play, the record was tied. In typical Reid Boucher fashion, he reeled in the puck at the right circle, looked up, and snapped a wrist shot into an impossibly small window over the shoulder of Scott Wedgewood.
The next game, Boucher found a way to outdo himself with an even more show-stopping goal on his way to a new spot in the record book. Hosting Hershey, the Comets were down by a goal in the third period until Boucher took matters into his own hands. From the bottom of the right circle, Boucher’s seeing-eye shot flew over the short-side shoulder of Bears’ goalie Vitek Vanecek and into the net. It was a shot that left jaws on the floor and many simply asking: “how?”
Boucher went on to finish the season with 31 goals and 62 points, becoming the first Comet to surpass 30 goals and 60 points in a single season. On top of his All-Star nod, he was named as the team’s Most Valuable Player, Media MVP, and he was the Three Stars Award winner.
Through a season of ups and downs, there was always one constant: Reid Boucher. While someone may come along and surpass his record one day, it’s likely that Boucher will go down in team lore as one of the greatest pure goal scorers to ever wear a Utica Comets sweater.