MANKATO, Minn. — As title-clinchers go, they hardly get more dramatic than this.
University of Denver captain Rhett Rakhshani’s goal with 13.3 seconds left in overtime Saturday lifted the Pioneers to a 4-3 victory over Minnesota State — a win that clinched the regular-season title in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. It was the Pioneers’ 12th WCHA regular-season title, and the first since 2005.
After a faceoff in the Mavericks’ zone, Denver defenseman Patrick Wiercioch got the puck to the front of the net, where, after a bounce, it ended up on Rakhshani’s stick with no opponent covering.
“We did have a play on, and it did fall apart,” Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky said. “We wanted Patrick to get the puck to the net right away. . . . He shoveled a backhand toward the net front, and a split second later it winds up on Rhett’s stick and Rhett buries it.”
The last-second drama came after the Pioneers had built, and lost, a two-goal lead in the second period. With the Mavericks playing like anything but a ninth-place team, the Pioneers had to rely heavily on goaltender Marc Cheverie, who responded with 36 saves, extending Denver’s win streak to 10.
“It just shows how close our league is,” said DU’s Joe Colborne, who had a goal and an assist. “Those guys played hard all weekend, and if not for a few bounces and a huge save by Chevy there, it could’ve been a whole different weekend.”
The Mavericks peppered Cheverie early, and scored first when rookie Tyler Pitlick beat the goalie cleanly on a two-on-one rush. But the lead was short-lived, as back-to-back penalties gave Denver a two-man advantage for more than a minute. On a a crisp passing play, Colborne worked the puck down low, then fed Anthony Maiani at the top of the crease for a tap-in.
Colborne got his team-leading 19th goal of the season with one second to play in the first period, giving the Pioneers their first lead. A goal by Jesse Martin put Denver up 3-1, but the Mavericks battled back for a 3-3 tie.
“We’re playing our best hockey right now,” said Mavericks coach Troy Jutting, whose team had a loss and a tie in Denver over Halloween weekend. “No loss is more heartbreaking than the next, because they’re all heartbreaking.”
The Pioneers were outshot in the third period but kept the game tied despite having to kill three Minnesota State power plays in quick succession.
“Getting through that period was a battle,” Rakhshani said. “Obviously we got some good penalty killing and Cheverie was great again.”
The Pioneers face Colorado College in a home-and-home series next weekend to close out the regular season.
Denver 2 1 0 1 — 4
Minnesota State 1 2 0 0 — 3
First period — 1, MSU, Pitlick 9 (Dorr) 13:40. 2, DU, Maiani 8 (Colborne, Ruegsegger) pp, 16:34. 3, DU, Colborne 19 (Wiercioch, Rakhshani) 19:59.
Second period — 4, DU, Martin 10 (Maiani, Ryder) 10:24. 5, MSU, Hayes 8 (Irwin, Youds) pp, 14:14. 6, MSU, Pitlick 10 (unassisted) 17:22.
Third period — 7, DU, Rakhshani 19 (Ruegsegger, Wiercioch), 4:47.
Shots on goal — DU (13-11-9-3—36), MSU (11-13-1-4—39). Saves — DU, Cheverie (10-11-11-4—36) 65:00, MSU, Lee (11-10-9-2—32) 65:00.
