University of Minnesota fans riot after hockey title loss, mess with reporter

The top-ranked University of Minnesota Golden Gophers' thrilling run to the NCAA hockey championship ended Saturday with a loss to Union College. So inebriated and bummed, students back in Minnesota did what inebriated and bummed sports fans too often do: they rioted.

Hundreds of police in riot gear lined the streets earlier in the evening in case of potential unrest, though that didn't stop fans from messing with cars, setting a few fires, and causing an indeterminate amount of property damage. Police arrested 19 people in the Dinkytown neighborhood Saturday night into Sunday morning — just two days after breaking up another mini-riot that broke out when the Gophers clinched a spot in the Frozen Four final.

Still, as far as Minnesota hockey riots go, both affairs were relatively tame. In 2003, fans celebrating the school's repeat national title torched cars and ransacked stores, resulting in nearly 30 arrests — a dozen of them for felonies.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up