Bob Corkum will soon be named to replace his former University of Maine teammate Guy Perron as a full-time assistant coach at Maine, according to a story in U.S. Hockey Report/Amateur Hockey News.

Corkum has spent the last two seasons as the associate head coach of the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs in the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

Perron left after two seasons to take a scouting job with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League.

The 40-year-old Corkum had a productive 720-game NHL career with seven teams, notching 97 goals and 103 assists for 200 points. He was a physical, checking-line forward who played both wing and center. He earned a reputation as one of the NHL’s best face-off men.

The 2006 Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame inductee was a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Triton Regional High School in Byfield, Mass., and at Newburyport (Mass.) High before become an assistant with the Portland Junior Pirates B team and the Junior Monarchs.

The Salisbury, Mass. native is 25th on Maine’s career all-time scoring list with 132 points (56 goals, 76 assists) in 159 games from 1985-89. He is ninth all-time in games played.

Maine head coach Tim Whitehead couldn’t confirm or deny Corkum’s impending hiring.

“I can only say that we have a process to go through and we’re moving as quickly as we can,” said Whitehead. “We’ll have an announcement any day now.”

Perron said Corkum would be a good hire.

“He’d be a great acquisition for the program. He’d do a great job,” said Perron. “I’ve known him a long time and he brings a lot of integrity to the program. He certainly works very hard at everything he’s done. He’ll bring some NHL experience with him and the players will definitely benefit from all of his experience as a college player and a pro.

“Most of our players go on to play at the next level and he would have some great experiences to share with them,” Perron added.

Perron feels Corkum would be extremely valuable teaching Maine forwards how to shut down the opposing teams’ top forwards “because he made a living out of it. He certainly knows everything that needs to be done.”

Corkum’s son, Kelen, has verbally committed to attend Maine and will join the program in the fall of 2009.

Corkum and his wife, Jess, have four children.

Maine teams picked last in AE

The UMaine men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams have been picked to finish last in the annual America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

The Maine men’s soccer team went 3-13-1 a year ago, 1-6-1 in America East, including a season-opening 1-0 overtime win over UMass which snapped Maine’s 22-game losing streak.

UMass went on to reach the NCAA’s Final Four.

Maine returns its top two scorers from last year’s team: senior Dimitri Anastasiou (4 goals, 0 assists) and sophomore Thomas McCole (2 & 1).

Vermont, the 2007 America East Tournament champions, is picked to defend its title. The Catamounts received 60 points and five first-place votes.

Binghamton was second (53 points, 3 first-place votes) followed by Boston University (51), New Hampshire (38 and 1 first-place vote), Maryland-Baltimore County (35), Hartford (32), Stony Brook (29), Albany (17) and Maine (9).

Maine opens at the UNH Nike Classic on Friday, Aug, 29 when it faces Rhode Island in Durham at 2:00.

The volleyball team was picked seventh, earning eight points from the league’s coaches.

Defending America East champ Albany was chosen to claim another championship with 33 points and four first-place votes.

New Hampshire was picked second (31 points, 2 first-place votes) followed by UMBC (29, 1), Binghamton (21 points), Stony Brook (16), Hartford (9) and Maine (8).

Maine returns seven seniors including who have combined to play 1413 sets in their careers: Ashley Wright, Jessica Wolfenden, Amy Lawson, Lindsay Allman, Brittany Kiehl, Margaret Page and Laura Goettsch.

Allman ranked in the top 10 in the conference in four categories a year ago and sophomore Paige Tortorello was seventh in assists (7.29).

Maine, which did not lose any players off last year’s 4-23 team, opens the season at the North Carolina Central Tournament in Durham, N.C. on Aug. 29-30.

Maine field hockey tabbed fifth

The University of Maine’s field hockey team was chosen to finish fifth in America East coaches’ preseason poll. There are six teams in the conference.

Maine went 5-11 a year ago, 1-4 in league play.

Second-year coach Josette Babineau returns 11 letter-winners from last year’s team including two of its top three scorers in Nicole Emery (3 goals, 4 assists) and Kim MacDonald (3 & 2) along with America East All-Rookie team selections Brittney Cummings, Maire Dineen and Courtney Veinotte.

Albany was the choice to win the title with four first-place votes and 24 points. Boston University was second (22 points, 2 first-place votes), Vermont (16), New Hampshire (14), Maine (9) and Fairfield (5).

Maine opens at Storrs, Conn. against Sacred Heart and UConn on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, respectively.

Colby names two assistants

Colby College has named two assistant coaches.

Yarmouth native Christine Clancy will be the assistant coach for the women’s basketball team and Josh Robinson will assist Jim Tortorella with the Colby men’s hockey team.

Clancy was a two-time all-conference pick at Brandeis University (Mass.) and was an assistant coach at Smith College (Mass.) last year.

Robinson played college hockey at Salem State and played professional hockey in 2006 with Muskegon of the United Hockey League and Jacksonville in the Southern Professional Hockey League.

He was an assistant coach at Division I Bentley College (Mass.) last season.