Clearing the Bases Blog Index
January 27, 2009
National polls, and around Hockey East

Notre Dame hasn't played since Jan. 17 - a 3-3 tie at Lake Superior State - but it didn't stop the Irish from remaining No. 1. Notre Dame is undefeated in its last 20 games, and is still on top of both the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports top 20 poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey top 15 poll. No. 2 in the polls is Boston University.

Maine did not receive any votes in either poll this week.

***

BU Coach Jack Parker is one win away from earning No. 800, and can reach the milestone when BU plays Friday at Merrimack. If there's a team that's in bad shape in Hockey East (yes, Maine fans, it's possible), it's the Warriors. Merrimack has lost its last five games and is in 10th place in Hockey East. Merrimack lost 3-2 to UMass-Lowell on Saturday, its 10th one-goal loss of the season.

"We find ways (to lose)," Merrimack Coach Mark Dennehy told the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune. "It's unbelievable. We stop doing what we had success with the first two periods. Lowell didn't change how they played; they kept playing the same way. Whatever reason, we get some success and get going and we just stop."

***

New Hampshire Coach Dick Umile is well-compensated. In fact, he's the highest-paid state employee in the Granite State. The Manchester Union Leader reported that Umile earns more than $382,000 a year in salary and deferred income.

More than 350 state and University System employees collected more than Gov. John Lynch's $113,537.88 pay in 2008, according to W-2 earnings requested by the New Hampshire Sunday News.

***

Denver Coach George Gwozdecky didn't go quietly into that good night. Saturday during a 2-2 tie with North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., the DU coach argued with referee Todd Anderson about a check by Brett Hextall (yes, the son of former NHL goalie Ron Hextall) near the visitor's bench.

DU was called for a bench penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Gwozdecky was given a game misconduct. Gwozdecky left the bench, walked across the ice and had a few words with linesman Andy Carton before leaving the rink. If you don't believe it, here's some footage, via Fox Sports.

Denver University reprimanded Gwozdecky on Monday.

Posted at 11:51 AM

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Comments

Rachel -
Rumors out of Orono are that Blake has had a few closed door sessions with Whitehead about the program. Missing the HE playoff's again is a ticket out of town.
What have you heard???

Posted by
January 28, 2009 09:48 AM

Rachel-
Any truth to the rumors that Blake has put Whitehead on high alert?
Miss the HE playoff's again and he's out?

Posted by
January 28, 2009 11:51 AM

I can't confirm or deny the meeting, but I can tell you this much - Thursday's practice was very spirited.

Also, in the future, please leave your name and e-mail address on posted comments.

Posted by rlenzi
January 30, 2009 11:27 AM

Well it may have been "spirited", but once again it obviously wasn't instructional, motivational or helpful.
Dig deeper on that "closed door", the rumors are getting louder.

Posted by
January 30, 2009 11:25 PM

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Rachel is in her fifth year as a sports reporter at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. A former college soccer and softball player, she covered sports at newspapers in Pennsylvania, Texas and Colorado before joining the Press Herald/Sunday Telegram staff in June of 2004.

Rachel takes over coverage of the University of Maine hockey team and was introduced to Maine hockey as a seventh-grader in Annapolis, Maryland, after reading a 1988 Sports Illustrated story about Shawn Walsh's impact on the program. Nearly 20 years later, she still has the four-page article in her possession.

She and her husband, Tommy (who also works for MaineToday Media, Inc.) are avid sports fans who root for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Kansas Jayhawks. After a year of marriage, their next step in life is to find a bigger house!



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