UNLV hockey has received tremendous support from the Las Vegas community after defeating Adrian College in St. Louis for the ACHA national championship. One of their biggest supporters, both before and after the tournament, is the Vegas Golden Knights. Here’s how the Golden Knights have shown their support for the Skatin’ Rebels over the past week.
Before the Rebels left for St. Louis, Bruce Cassidy, the head coach of the Golden Knights, encountered the team at City National Arena, where both teams train and practice. He took the opportunity to give the Rebels a pep talk before they took off for the tournament.
Once the final buzzer rang at the Centene Community Ice Center, the mitts and helmets came off from the scarlet and grey. After winning the championship, the Golden Knights’ social media team immediately shared the news.
During the game between the Golden Knights and the Detroit Red Wings at T-Mobile Arena, the Knights organization decided to honor the UNLV hockey program and its players in a special way. At the first television timeout, they played a tribute video celebrating UNLV hockey’s national championship victory.
The video featured the final seconds of the championship game and captured the entire team inside T-Mobile Arena, joyfully raising the ACHA national trophy in front of over seventeen thousand fans in attendance. It was a moment that the players and the program will never forget.
During the first intermission of the game, the Golden Knights communication team provided the media with one-on-one time with Mattias Dal Monte, the captain of the Skatin’ Rebels, and head coach Anthony Vignieri-Greener. Both were excited and pleased with their recent accomplishments, and they expressed enthusiasm about the future of the hockey program.
Here are the full exclusive interviews:
As Anthony Vignieri-Greener mentioned, this is a significant step for the UNLV hockey program as it moves forward. The Rebels are striving to achieve Division I status with the NCAA, and the support of the Golden Knights will be crucial. Whether through financial contributions, donations, or increased media attention, it is essential that the Golden Knights organization must support the program if the Rebels aim to become a scholarship team and compete in the NCAA. The recent show of support marks the beginning of what could be a beneficial relationship between both organizations in the future.
