On Saturday, hundreds of University of Denver students, alumni, and friends counted down from ten in packed watch parties around campus. 

At the Xcel Energy Arena in St. Paul, Minn., the Denver men’s hockey team clinched the national championship in the NCAA Frozen Four tournament. Bringing home the trophy means Denver is the first program to have reached 10 NCAA titles.

Denver’s goals were scored by sophomores Jared Wright and Rieger Lorenz. Junior goaltender Matty Davis made 35 saves in net to secure DU’s victory. This was head coach David Carle’s second championship trophy in six years leading the program.

Before the game, DU was on a nine-game winning streak, narrowly defeating the Boston University Terriers in the semifinals in overtime. 

In preparation for any replication of the 2022 celebrations, which included couch burning and stoplight free-soloing, the Denver Police Department announced on X — and alerted the community via email and text — that they would be shutting down University Boulevard from Buchtel Boulevard to Wesley Avenue and Evans Avenue from High Street to Josephine Street.

The DPD’s preparation for the celebration and the celebration itself were larger than in 2022. Fans erupted out of bars like The Pioneer, Spanky’s Roadhouse and Crimson and Gold Tavern to congregate at the intersection of Evans and University.

Senior Emma Bartholomew, commented, “There was an overwhelming sense of pride when everyone swarmed in the street. Celebrating with so many people I had never met was so exciting.”

Police in heavy riot gear stood by while news helicopters flew overhead.  

Then, the first couch caught flame. Students ran back down Evans to catch a glimpse of the furniture fire reaching nearly ten feet into the sky. After several firemen pushed through the crowd and used their hoses to extinguish the fire, students continued celebrating on top of its ashy remains. Then, as what felt like the entire school migrated under the Community Commons bridge and toward the intersection of High Street and Evans Avenue, rioters ripped out street signs. 

As the commotion made its way down Evans, some decided to detour down towards Johnson-McFarlane Hall to glimpse what would be the second of five couches to catch fire that day.

Back on Evans, the celebration continued, with yet another couch being burned and many students climbing a ladder onto the roof of Illegal Petes, Snarf’s Sandwiches and other local businesses. All the while, the group took their chance to pose for photos with the firemen and police who were tailing the crew.

After the festivities calmed down, many students returned to their homes to prepare for the parties that would begin to pop up all around campus throughout the evening, celebrating a historic win in DU’s history.