UNLV's club hockey team will play for the national championship against Adrian College in the National Collegiate Hockey Association men's Division I finals on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. (Las Vegas Review-Journal/File)
UNLV's club hockey team fell short of its goal of winning a national championship Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Rebels defeat Adrian College goaltender Noah Decotinese in the American Collegiate Hockey Association men's Division I final at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri. They were unable to do so and lost 3-0.
The No. 2 Bulldogs (34-5) won their third Murdock Cup as ACHA national champions.
Decotigny made 41 saves for his sixth shutout of the season. He ranked second in ACHA Division I in scoring average and played in the championship game.
Matthew DiCesare scored with 2:38 left in the second period to give Adrian a 1-0 advantage. The Bulldogs added an empty-net goal in the third period with a power-play goal by Matteo DiGiulio.
UNLV (25-7-1) controlled play in the first period, finishing with a 16-8 advantage in shots on goal, but Decotinny kept the game scoreless. The Rebels outscored Adrian 41-29 overall.
UNLV goaltender Vince Benedetto was hit with 28 shots and stopped 26 of them.
The Rebels made their first appearance in the ACHA Division I national title game. The Rebels advanced to the national championship by defeating third-place Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh State, and Missouri State in the national tournament.
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