Lewiston native Kasey Boucher’s stock on the national hockey scene continues to rise.

Boucher, who played high school hockey at the North American Hockey Academy in Vermont as well as tennis at Lewiston High School, is in Finland this week after USA Hockey selected the senior-to-be at Boston University to play with the national Under-22 squad at the International Ice Hockey Federation Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series in Vierumaki, Finland.

Fifteen of the 22 players selected for the team were part of the U.S. women’s team that captured gold at the 2011 IIHF Women’s World Championship this past April.

Boucher was also a part of the U.S. team that took on Canada in a three-game series a week ago in Toronto. A defensive defenseman, Boucher has nine goals and 23 assists in 110 games over three seasons for the Terriers, who fell in last season’s Division I final to Wisconsin.

The tourney will run from Aug. 24-31, and the U.S. will play games against Russia, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

Boucher and BU open up the season with an exhibition against Ottawa on Sept. 24 before a countable contest against North Dakota on Sept. 30 kicks off the regular season.

Maine at Fenway all but official

Various media outlets, citing unnamed, well-placed sources, have begun reporting what many people have been suspecting for some time: The Maine Black Bears’ men’s ice hockey team will play an outdoor game at Fenway Park this winter.

After the success of the NHL’s Winter Classic at the venerable ballpark, followed by a clash between rivals Boston College and Boston University, Hockey East began investigating the possibility of a return engagement, giving other schools in the conference a chance to play outdoors on a grand stage.

According to reports, the doubleheader will feature four state schools — Vermont against Massachusetts and Maine versus New Hampshire.

Perhaps the largest indicator that something was up was the discrepancy that popped up on the league’s schedule on its Web site. On the Maine Athletics Web page, the team is listed as having a doubleheader with New Hampshire to close out the season on March 2 and 3. On the Hockey East Web page, the schedule has been altered to have only one game between the two that weekend — on March 3. The other game was slipped into a previously unoccupied place on the calendar — Jan. 7. The same occurred with one of the scheduled games between Vermont and Massachusetts.

According to one report from U.S. College Hockey Online, the ice sheet at Fenway will be used for multiple events in addition to the Hockey East doubleheader. Unlike the 2010 Winter Classic, though, Dan Craig, the NHL’s “ice guru,” will not oversee the event, according to the USCHO report.

There is no information on which company will build and oversee the ice surface.

Hockey East has planned a formal announcement for Friday, at which time additional information, including ticket information, will be available.

Pirates round out staff

Mike Minard will spend his second season coaching professional hockey with the Portland Pirates.

The team announced this week that Minard, who was the video coordinator with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL last season, will be the Pirates’ goaltending/video coach.

“The addition of Mike Minard to our coaching staff here in Portland is ideal for the further development of our young goaltenders,” Pirates’ head coach Ray Edwards said in a news release.

Minard was a professional goaltender for 12 seasons. The 34-year old native of Owen Sound, Ontario, was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft and was in the Oilers system from 1996-2000. His NHL debut — and his first win — came on April 8, 2000, against the Calgary Flames. Following the 1999-2000 season, Minard joined the Toronto Maple Leafs’ organization where he competed in 96 games for their AHL affiliate, the St. John’s Maple Leafs.

“We are delighted to have Mike Minard as an addition to our coaching staff here in Portland,” Pirates Managing Owner/CEO Brian Petrovek said in a release. “His extensive professional career and notable achievements as a player and role model in the community makes him an ideal fit. Our young goaltending corps will have a stand out mentor and teacher to guide them in their quest towards the National Hockey League.”