University of Denver
St. Cloud State
Rakhshani's Heroics Lead Pioneers to Sweep
12/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
ST. CLOUD,
Peter Mannino (Farmington Hills, Mich.) was stellar in net for the Pioneers with 20 saves, including two key stops on a late St. Cloud State power play, as DU earns the series sweep and improves to 12-4 overall and 9-3 in the WCHA.
“What a tremendous character win for our team tonight,” DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. “Rhett had a terrific third period and Peter turned in another great game. I am really proud of our guys and the way they never quit.”
Rakhshani’s late-game heroics began with a shorthanded goal at 14:11 of the final stanza. He tied the score at 2-2 when he banked a puck off of goaltender Jase Weslosky (39 saves) from behind the net at 17:35. Rakhshani completed the natural hat trick with the game-winning goal at 19:32 with a blast from the low slot. The hat trick was the first of Rakhshani’s two-year DU career.
“I don’t know what just happened,” Rakhshani said of his magical third period. “Our entire team made contributions late in the game and we’re really happy to get the win tonight.”
Martin added two assists for DU, which recorded its second road sweep of the season and first over
The Pioneers return to WCHA action at Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 14-15.
