Photo by: Andrew Fielding
The Pioneer hockey team comes into the weekend after a road-split with Ohio State University.
They will travel to play WCHA conference rival, University of Minnesota on Friday and Saturday.
Minnesota was off the first weekend of the season, and then traveled to North Dakota last weekend.
In the first game against the Fighting Sioux, the Gophers were dominated in all aspects of the game. Outshot 43-22 by the Sioux, the Gophers just could not get anything going.
They were shutout in the contest 4-0.
The second game turned out to be a battle. Both teams played hard and it was back and forth all night as the Gophers scored a go ahead goal with eight minutes left in the game, but North Dakota battled back to tie it just a minute and a half later in the period.
The game ended in a 3-3 tie.
For the Pioneers, they come off a weekend that seems like the tale of two games.
In the first game it was all about one man – junior Marc Cheverie.
After a goal midway through the first period by senior captain Rhett Rakhshani, Cheverie took the game under control. He made 36 saves in the contest to record his second win and first shutout of the season.
Freshman Drew Shore added a power-play goal in the second period for cushion, but Cheverie and the Pioneers wouldn’t need it, they went on to win the game 2-0.
In the second game, head coach George Gwozdecky stuck with the goalie rotation, playing freshman goalie Adam Murray.
However, the Pioneers could not get the puck past Ohio State’s goaltender, Cal Heeter, and they fell 4-0.
Gwozdecky stood behind Murray after the game. In an interview with USCHO arena reporter J. Justin Boggs he said, “I thought that Adam played well. He made an outstanding save early in the game for us. For him, it was an unfortunate bounce on their first goal.”
This will be the first time the Pioneers have traveled to Minnesota since the 2007-08 season. Last season they only played Minnesota twice, both in Denver. They split the two games last year, losing the first one 5-2 and then winning the second game 4-0.
Cheverie struggled in the first game against Minnesota last season surrendering five goals before getting pulled midway through the third period.
He rebounded well in the second game as he came out with a 36 save shutout to lead the Pioneers to the victory.
This weekend’s games will be played at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. on Friday and Saturday night. The games will both be at 7:05 p.m. CT.
