With a victory against Adrian College in St. Louis, Missouri, for the NCHA national championship, the UNLV hockey team has added more hardware to their trophy case, marking a memorable season that the program will never forget. Achieving one of the biggest upsets in college hockey history and winning championships for the first time in program history, while all in dominating fashion, the 2024-2025 Skatin’ Rebels will be remembered as one of the best non-NCAA Division I college hockey teams. Here are the most notable moments for UNLV hockey this season.
UNLV Hockey defeats Denver University
On December 28th of last year, the Rebels flew to Denver, Colorado, to face the 2024 NCAA hockey champions, Denver University, in an exhibition game at Magness Arena. The Rebels played the Pioneers back in October of 2022 losing 10-0. As a club hockey team without Division I status, the Rebels were clearly the underdogs going into the match taking on the defending champs and at the time ranked No. 5 nationally.
Despite this, the Rebels jumped out to an impressive 5-1 lead by the end of the second period, shocking the Denver Pioneers. However, in the third period, Denver mounted a significant comeback, scoring five unanswered goals to take a 6-5 lead. UNLV forward Heath Mensh then scored the game-tying goal, forcing the match into overtime against the defending champions.
With neither team scoring in overtime, the game proceeded to a shootout. Rebels’ captain Mattias Dal Monte scored the winning goal in the shootout, securing one of the biggest upsets in college hockey history. On top of that, goalie for the Rebels Jeremey Foreman had a stellar performance stopping 58 out of the 64 Denver shots.
Rebels win the WCHL
The Western Conference Hockey League (WCHL) is the highest level of competition for non-varsity teams in the western ACHA Division. The league consists of eleven teams from the West Coast that compete for a chance to participate in the ACHA national tournament. Earlier in March, the two top teams in the conference, the Skatin’ Rebels and the ASU Sun Devils, faced off against each other in Vegas.
The Rebels dominated the game, winning 9-1 at City National Arena. This victory marked their first WCHL championship win in program history, earning them an automatic bid to the national tournament in St. Louis.
Rebels win the ACHA national tournament
The Rebels entered the ACHA national tournament with a record of 27-5-3, earning them the No. 2 overall seed. They received a first-round bye and began their tournament against Arizona, where the Rebels easily defeated the Wildcats 6-2.
In the quarterfinals, the Rebels faced Maryville and encountered some adversity. They found themselves down 2-0 in the third period; however, the scarlet and grey came roaring back by scoring three unanswered goals, advancing them in the tournament.
In the semifinals, the Rebels faced Liberty and again were down 2-0 heading into the third period. Demonstrating their resilience, the Rebels scored five unanswered goals to secure victory, earning a spot in the national championship game for the second consecutive year.
In a rematch of last year’s ACHA championship, the Rebels faced Adrian College, which had shut out the Rebels 3-0 in the previous finals. Although the Rebels did not score any goals in last year’s championship game, they quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period this time.
The Rebels continued to apply pressure, extending their lead to 4-0. Adrian responded by scoring at the end of the second period and again at the beginning of the third, cutting the Rebels’ lead to a pair.
However, the Rebels remained composed. Tristan Rand sealed the victory by scoring on a penalty shot, bringing the score to 6-2, and Preston Brodziak added an empty-net goal, making the final score 7-3 in St. Louis. With this win, the Rebels are the 2025 ACHA national champions for the first time in program history.
The tournament MVP was handed to goaltender Jeremy Foreman, as he had stopped 36 out of the 39 shots from Adrian College.
In a phone interview with the Las Vegas Sun, UNLV hockey head coach Anthony Vignieri-Greener said ” I’m just really for this group, what they’ve been through and what they’ve worked through. Last year was tough for us, but it just speaks volumes to these kids, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this group.”
With this historical run of a season for the Rebels, it may set them on a path toward NCAA Division 1 status. Only time will reveal if the Rebels achieve this goal, but if they do, the 2024-2025 season will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the team’s history.
