By Justin Pelletier,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – One of the most prestigious high school coaching positions in Maine, and certainly one with a storied past, has finally been filled.

John Pleau, who spent 13 years behind the bench as an assistant to outgoing coach Bob Boucher, has been appointed to the top position at St. Dom’s.

“I’m pretty proud to be taking over here as an alumnus,” said Pleau. “Also, having had both of my kids graduate from the school, I’ve been around the community there for a long time.”

Pleau takes over a program renowned for top-level hockey. The Saints have won 24 state championships, more than any other school in Maine and second only to Mount Saint Charles of Rhode Island in the country.

“It’s tough to follow what Bob has done over the years, and the history even before that,” said Pleau. “But it’s a challenge that I’m up for.”

Pleau has been familiar with the ins and outs of the program for a long time. As a member of the St. Dom’s varsity team in the 1960s, Pleau never won a state title. As a coach, in addition to assisting Boucher, Pleau has guided the junior varsity program to several stellar seasons, including an undefeated campaign two years ago.

“He’s worked with kids at all different levels, including the J.V. program,” said Boucher. “He has seen every kind of player we will have and that we’re going to face, and that’s a big plus for him.”

Despite his seal of approval, Boucher actually had little to do with the selection process, despite his position as the school’s athletic director.

“When people leave a position, they probably shouldn’t be involved in picking their successor,” said St. Dom’s principal Michael Welch. “I imagine that if I stepped down tomorrow, I would have little to do with picking who came after me.”

Instead, Welch formed a search committee made up of various members of the St. Dom’s community. In all, the committee interviewed three applicants.

“All of the candidates were fine,” said Welch. “They were all very gracious. The committee had developed a set of questions, so that in the spirit of equality, all of the candidates were asked the same things. I had very little to do with that process as well, maybe just a follow-up question or two.”

For Pleau, the chance to coach the team is a chance to come full circle with the program for which he once played.

“I’ve coached with the Maine Festival team for 16 years and I’ve been doing clinics locally in addition to coaching the J.V. team,” said Pleau. “I know most of the kids here, at Lewiston and at E.L. pretty well. I’m always here. My wife always calls me a hockey fanatic, and I can’t disagree with her.”

Pleau will begin a reorganization of the team’s systems and game plans immediately, though the team’s tournament and game schedule will likely remain the same for another year, until Pleau gets his feet wet.

“He can make the decisions after that,” said Boucher, “but for the first year we’ll probably keep it all the same. As for the assistant coaches, that is going to happen probably in the next two or three weeks. The kids are in good hands with him.”