By John Hepokoski
UWRF Sports Information

Any hockey program dreams of having a solid goaltender that can be relied upon to perform well game after game.

The Falcons have three.

The Falcon trio of goalies is led by senior Dan Meneghin. After three strong years in the net, Meneghin looks to add on a fourth to wrap up his Falcon career.

Playing in 14 games last season, Meneghin had a 9-3-0 record while only allowing 1.95 goals a game with a .939 save percentage. His .939 save percentage gives Meneghin the second best ever save percentage by any Falcon for one season.

He also owns the best career winning percentage in Falcon history (.824). Meneghin was named the team's Player of the Week on Nov. 5 following a 2-1 victory over St. Mary's when he made 40 saves. Meneghin also recorded two shutouts - against MSOE and St. Scholastica. The 5-10, 170 pounder has a total of six shutouts now with the Falcons. Not only has he performed well on the ice, off the rink as well. He was named to the NCHA All-Academic team for the second season in a row.

"We can throw anything at Dan and he accepts the challenge," said Falcon Coach Steve Freeman. "He is a strong competitor and leads through his ability on the ice and his work ethic in the classroom."

Meneghin spent his childhood around Surrey, BC., and took on hockey almost at birth. At age four Meneghin learned to skate and by age five he jumped right into hockey. "I watched a lot of hockey when I was younger and idolized Patrick Roy in the goal," said Meneghin. He spent a lot of time playing street hockey with his older brothers and they would only allow him to play goalie. This is where his fascination with playing between the pipes started.

He participated in one year of Junior B and four years of Junior A hockey. His team was the Barnaby Bulldogs where he was named the Most Valuable Player. Meneghin also played for the Victoria Salsa of the British Columbia Hockey League. "My favorite part about playing all that hockey was the simple idea of showing up to play."

After all his hockey experience Meneghin looked for a college where he wanted to play hockey. His choice ended up being UW-River Falls. "River Falls gave me the best opportunity to play right away and it had the studies I was looking for," said Meneghin, who is majoring in accounting. UW-River Falls is really happy about his choice.

As a Falcon, Dan has played in 40 career games and logged over 2,000 minutes on the ice. His record is outstanding standing at 30-6-1. Also impressive is his career 1.88 goals against average and his .928 career save percentage.

Meneghin feels at home now in River Falls and it did not take him long to adjust to the distance separating him from his home in Canada.

His favorite memories of Falcon hockey are the playoff games he has participated in, especially the ones against St. Norbert, because they are so competitive. "When it comes to River Falls, I will remember the whole picture," Meneghin stated. "I will remember all the balancing required to be a successful student and hockey player."

When asked what he got the most from playing under Freeman, he stated, "just show up for practice and work hard."

He enjoys relaxing and hanging out in his free time. Watching sports is also one of his favorite things to do.

Meneghin brings strong leadership to this young Falcons team and he is greatly respected. He will graduate this year. "Being on the ice and playing is the best part, and the part I will miss the most when I am done," Meneghin said.

Dan Meneghin