01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, February 25, 2004

BY DAN HICKLING
Special to the Journal

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Boston's Mike Sullivan may be a rookie in the NHL coaching biz, but he's already gotten wise to the pitfalls of the profession.

That was underscored by yesterday's firing of Bobby Francis by Phoenix, after five seasons behind the Coyote bench.

Francis, who coached the Providence Bruins for two seasons, also coached Sullivan in his final years as a player with Phoenix.

"He's a victim of the realities of the business," said Sullivan. "He's done a great job with that team."

Unfortunately for Francis, "that team" won just two of its last 14 games, leaving the team mired in last place in the Pacific Division.

"He's a caring guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve," said Sullivan. "He's one of the most sincere guys you'll ever meet."

Expect Francis to jump to the head of the line for the next NHL coaching vacancy.

Boynton stays behind

As expected, All-Star defenseman Nick Boynton remained back in Boston, nursing a mild shoulder injury suffered in Monday night's loss to Florida.

Boynton took a hard tumble into the end boards after being upended by Florida's Juraj Kolnik on a freak play. He is expected back for tomorrow night's home tilt with the Montreal Canadiens.

Boynton's spot was taken by Jeff Jillson, the North Smithfield native, who had been a healthy scratch for all but three of the previous 17 contests.

Sharing the wealth

With a surplus of bodies on hand, the Providence Bruins yesterday shipped three players to the Trenton Titans of the East Coast Hockey League.

Center Robert Liscak and defensemen Peter Metcalf and Martin Wilde will all head to the Titans, who are coached by former P-Bruins bench boss Bill Armstrong.

With the Titans in a struggle to make the playoffs, Armstrong will no doubt welcome the reinforcements.

Liscak (0-4-4) and Metcalf (2-13-15), who were teammates at the University of Maine, are both Boston property, while Wilde (0-1-1) has been skating on an AHL contract with Providence.

Goren a Bruin at heart

Elsewhere, former Bruins winger Lee Goren is enjoying a strong season with the San Antonio Rampage, the AHL farm club of the Florida Panthers.

Goren, who last year netted 32 goals with the Providence Bruins, has 17-17-34 totals so far for the Rampage. He is also the team's captain, a role he served for a month with the P-Bruins a few years back.

"It's been good," Goren said. "We've got a lot of guys who are battling every night, and that's a good thing. It's always tough going somewhere else. But it's been great here. They've been good to me. That was a great honor (being named captain). There are a lot of guys (on the club) that could do that. We've got 20 leaders on this hockey club. The "C" is just a letter. Everybody does their share."

Still, underneath his Rampage sweater, he has a heart of Black and Gold. He might still be a Bruin if not for a communication mix up.

Goren's initial contract with Boston ran out at the end of last year. The Bruins were preparing to offer an extension, but by the time they got it in the mail, Goren had already accepted a bid from the Panthers.

"In hindsight, I might have done things a little differently," Goren said. "But I'm here, and I'm working hard and I'm trying to get to the next level. I think in the long run, Boston wanted to try to sign me, and I think I would have wanted to go back there. But the offer was there and I jumped on it, and I don't regret anything. I enjoy being here. Now my goal is to get to Florida."

Changing places

Two ex-Bruin wingers were on the move yesterday: Landon Wilson, who was dealt by Phoenix to Pittsburgh, and Eric Nickulas, who was placed on waivers by St. Louis and snapped up by Chicago.