The University of Denver is the reigning national champion in college hockey. It took a historic loss to UNLV, a club program, in its final game of 2024.
However, the Pioneers are refusing to acknowledge the upset.
Now, there is some important context that needs to be addressed before we go any further. Denver’s head coach is currently away from the team to serve in the same role with Team USA at World Juniors. Star defenseman Zeev Buium is also representing his country and got into a fight with Team Canada.
It is also important to note that UNLV is one of the best club teams in the country. The program, with help from the university, has been lobbying for a promotion to the Division I level for a few years.
Still, even with all of those caveats, the reigning national champion and fifth-ranked team in the country should not lose to the Skatin’ Rebels. To say that it was one of the biggest upsets in sports history would in now way be overstated. Denver went down 5-1 early and eventually lost to UNLV in a penalty shootout.
CLUB HOCKEY IS COLLEGE HOCKEY
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 29, 2024
UNLV (ACHA M1) just stunned Denver (NCAA DI defending national champions) at Magness Arena in a 7-6 shootout win
(via NCHC TV) pic.twitter.com/m6fI0uzYlw
Fortunately, the embarrassing defeat does not count. The Pios hosted the Rebels for an exhibition tune-up game over the holiday break. They will not carry the loss on their official D-1 record.
That does not mean it did not happen!
Denver hockey is refusing to accept reality and claims the game ended in a tie. Here is how it looks on the team’s official website:
The Pioneers’ official recap reads as follows:
The No. 5 University of Denver hockey team tied the UNLV Rebels 6-6 on Saturday night at Magness Arena in the Pioneers’ only exhibition game of the season.
After a scoreless five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime, UNLV won the end-of-game shootout 1-0 after scoring in the third round. The final result won’t have affect Denver’s record or Pairwise Ranking for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
— University of Denver athletics
Maybe Denver is trying to say the loss was not real because there was no official overtime period. Maybe it is denial. At least they acknowledged the “end-of-game shootout.”
Regardless of the reason, for the Pioneers to list a shootout loss to the Rebels as a “6-6 tie” is outrageous. That is not what happened. It was not a tie!
The post Denver’s Fifth-Ranked Hockey Team Refuses To Acknowledge Historic Upset Loss To Club Program appeared first on BroBible.
Denver’s Fifth-Ranked Hockey Team Refuses To Acknowledge Historic Upset Loss To Club Program
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