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By The Daily Gleaner

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Goaltender Martin Houle, who appeared briefly in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers, will anchor the crease for the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds next season.

Houle, drafted in the eighth round of the 2004 National Hockey League entry draft by the Flyers after a stellar Quebec Major Junior Hockey League career with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, went to training camp with the Flyers in 2005-06 and was dispatched to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Phantoms, then in Philadelphia.

He wrestled the starting job away from former NHL first round draft pick Jamie Storr that season, appearing in 40 games and posting a 2.54 goals against average, a .914 save percentage and an 18-18-1 won-loss record.

The following season, he appeared in 37 games with the Phantoms and posted a 3.32 goals against and a 12-17-2 W-L mark with an .893 save percentage.

He was called up to the Flyers and played two minutes of a game in a one month stint. His NHL appearance came Dec. 13, 2006 against the Pittsburgh Penguins when he relieved Flyer starter Antero Niittymaki. He stopped two shots and surrendered a goal to the Penguins' Mark Recchi before Niittymaki returned. The Flyers lost the game 8-4.

In 2007-08, he played with the Phantoms and the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers.

Houle is enrolled in the Business Administration program at UNB. He will redshirt with the V-Reds this season, play in the Southern Senior A Hockey League and practice with UNB. He'll join Travis Fullerton and Derek Yeomans in the crease competition next season, when UNB pursues the Canadian Interuniveristy Sport men's hockey championship on home ice.

UNB will host the CIS tourney for two seasons.

"Martin will be an excellent addition to our program," said V-Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall in a press release. "He has an outstanding work ethic and a top quality attitude and will certainly be a difference maker for our program. He has an outstanding major junior and pro pedigree and is very excited about the opportunity to complete his university degree while also helping our program compete for a national championship in our home arena in 2011."

Houle spent four years with the Screaming Eagles, the first two as the backup to current Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He stepped out of Fleury's shadow in 2003-04, winning the Jacques Plante Award for the top goals against average in the Quebec League with a 2.32 goals against. He was a first team QMJHL all-star and second team in the entire Canadian Hockey League that season, with a 34-15-1 record and a .921 save percentage. He followed up the next year by winning the QMJHL Defensive Player of the Year Award with a 2.51 goals against and a .911 save percentage.

Houle is a 24-year-old native of Montreal, Que.

He stands five-foot-eleven and weighs 175 pounds.