Marc Gosselin, the city of Auburn’s Executive Director of Community Partnership and Sports Tourism, was finishing his workday Friday when his phone rang at 4:30 p.m.

The former Lewiston High School goalie picked up the phone, and on the other end of the line was Eric Michaud, a Lewiston native and former co-worker from Gosselin’s time working for the Lewiston Maineiacs from 2004-08.

Michaud, the Maine Mariners video coach, asked Gosselin if he was willing to serve as the Mariners’ backup goalie for this weekend’s games against the Worcester Railers on Friday and Reading Royals on Saturday.

Gosselin, who has continued to play goalie in a men’s league, didn’t hesitate to say yes. He jumped in his truck, with his goalie gear, and drove to Portland to continue his workday, as a professional hockey player with the Boston Bruins’ ECHL affiliate for a 7:15 p.m. game against the Railers.

“The day after Christmas, they needed a goalie to practice with them for a few days while they had some goalies with other (teams),” Gosselin said. “Last night, some goalies (in the Bruins system) got moved around in Boston and (with the American Hockey League’s) Providence Bruins. One of the Mariners goalies got called up and they needed someone to fill in. I was happy to take the call to fill in. It’s always fun.”

Gosselin doesn’t know if getting the call to serve as the Mariners’ backup goalie is a direct link to the Boston Bruins’ announcement Friday that goalie Tuukka Rask had suffered a lower-body injury.

This isn’t the first time Gosselin has put on the pads to help a professional hockey team. He often practiced with the AHL’s Portland Pirates when he was the team’s Director of Business Development and Game Operations from 2008-10. When he was with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets from 2017-2018, working in the organization’s corporate sponsorship department, he would be on the ice during the team’s morning skate on game days.

On Friday night, Gosselin, 44, soaked in the experience on the bench.

“The group of guys on the Mainers team is fantastic; the coaching staff, they were so welcoming and so professional,” Gosselin said. “They were a fantastic group. They made me feel a part of the team last night, which is truly fantastic. … Growing up playing hockey and being a goalie, you always dreamed of playing at a high level.”

Gosselin didn’t see any game action but enjoyed the sights and sounds that one doesn’t get by sitting in the stands — like how the coaches manage the team, the speed of the game and the chemistry in the locker room.

Despite the Mariners trailing 6-3 in the final two minutes, Gosselin knew he wasn’t going get in the game Friday.

“There was plenty of faith in Jeremy,” Gosselin said, referring to Mariners goalie Jeremy Brodeur, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. “It was a game with a couple of bad bounces. It’s hockey. The team fought extremely hard in the third period to (tie the game).”

Gosselin graduated from Lewiston High School in 1995 and was in goal for when the Blue Devils beat Cony for the 1995 state championship — he also a backup on Lewiston’s 1993 state championship team. He wasn’t anxious during the state title game, and he wasn’t anxious Friday.

“Last night was just having fun; that’s what it was all about,” Gosselin said. “I don’t think there was anything there (nerves-wise); other than just enjoying everything that was going on. I don’t think there were nerves for (the state championship) game.”

Gosselin has Andrei Makarov’s old Lewiston Maineiacs’ goalie helmet and wore that for the game. Makarov was a goaltender in the Maineiacs’ final season in 2010-11.

“It was nice to bring back the Maineiacs brand a little bit,” Gosselin said.

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