When you know what you want, sometimes it's best to just go out and get it.

Not bound by the constraints of city budgets and a long, drawn out approval process, St. Dom's moved quickly to replace its girls' hockey coach this week, tabbing long-time coach Don Boucher to lead the short-lived but successful program into its first season of varsity competition.

"He was someone we identified, some people at our school knew, and we asked him if he'd be interested," St. Dom's AD Lee Hixon said.

Boucher, a cousin of late boys' coach Bob Boucher, didn't take long to make his decision, either.

"I found out a few days ago, when a few people I know at St. Dom's came to me and asked," Boucher said.

Boucher has coached elite girls for several years already, having been in charge of the Maine Festival teams.

"I've done the U-16 program, which is close to high school level, and it's been all of the top girls in the state," Boucher said. "There's going to be some learning to do because the level is a bit different."

Boucher as also been an integral part in helping the local feeder system develop, and was a key part of the process when the Lewiston Area Youth Hockey League developed its girls' program.

"I was on the board at the time," Boucher said. "There was a need for it, to make sure it could continue to develop in this area, and I happened to be on the youth hockey board at the time, and I helped get it up and running."

The only thing making Boucher a bit nervous, he said, is the team's lofty reputation - the St. Dom's girls have never finished outside of the semifinals of their league in nine years of existence.

"It's going to be hard to keep up with what they've done," Boucher said, laughing a bit. "I saw what they've done, reading the story in the paper, and I was like, 'Holy smokes, what am I getting myself into?' I can only hope I'll be able to do as well as they did."

The girls' season begins earlier than the rest of the MPA-sanctioned winter sports, with teams meeting for the first time on Monday, Nov. 3.