In sports, referees often make mistakes. After all, they are human. But fans often fail to realize this and typically are not afraid to let the stripes hear their thoughts on controversial calls.

In a hockey series between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Denver Pioneers earlier this month, the referees indeed messed up. After UW had fallen behind to the No. 2 Pioneers 3-0 after two periods, it seemed certain the Badgers were destined for yet another road loss this season. But with two unanswered goals by sophomores Aaron Bendickson and Ben Grotting, Wisconsin pulled to within one with plenty of time to play in the game’s final period.

Herein lies the controversy.

The Badgers failed to find the net late in the third and were hampered by a late penalty with just two and a half minutes to play. After Denver iced the puck with just a few seconds remaining in the game, it appeared as if UW perhaps had one final shot.

That final shot came off the stick of senior forward Matthew Ford. After forward Kyle Turris won the face-off in the Denver zone, Ford was able to find the loose puck and fire up a blast that beat DU’s Peter Mannino just before time expired.

Or did it?

The officials had issues with the clock all night, and something seemed screwy after the icing call that brought the puck back to the Denver end of the ice. An extra second was added to the clock after it was determined too much time had been taken off. So with 3.7 seconds left, Wisconsin knew they had to score in a hurry.

Ford’s shot was initially signaled a goal by multiple officials, and it was clear from the video replay that the red lamp was lit before the game clock light had gone off.

?I just threw up my hands and started celebrating,? Turris said. ?I didn’t know if it went in or not.?

But after the referee reviewed the play ? as is typically done in questionable situations like this ? it was ruled that the goal came tenths of a second too late. Wisconsin lost a heartbreaker, 3-2.

Before the two teams met again in the second game of the series the very next day, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association acknowledged that they had made a mistake on the call, admitting the goal should have counted. The statement said the WCHA ?regrets the error,? but no further action was done to rectify the official’s wrongdoing.

As I mentioned before, referees are only human. Sometimes I tend to ignore this fact as a fan, but more often than not, I know they should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Not this time, however.

The fact that the WCHA acknowledged its mistake does nothing for the Badger players or fans to make it any less of a loss. For a team that was seeking its first conference road win of the season, a chance at overtime would have been huge. Wisconsin clearly had the upper hand as far as the game’s momentum was concerned, scoring three straight goals against one of the nation’s best teams.

Instead, the Badgers were forced to leave Magness Arena that night shaking their heads and searching for answers.

Turris offered one suggestion on how the situation should be handled.

?I think they should just give each team a tie,? Turris said. ?I think that’d be the easiest way.?

I know it rarely happens when a referee or official’s mistakes are later overturned after the game has ended, but it should more often. When the season winds down, and the playoffs loom large, no team should be left out because a ref made a mistake on a crucial call.

Since the WCHA’s statement came out prior to the second game of the series, I would have proposed that the teams played a standard five-minute overtime, either before or after Saturday’s contest. Wisconsin deserved a second shot at Denver, and I’m sure the Pioneers would rather have had a legitimate win as opposed to a no-call that went their way.

This scenario of redoing the end of a game is rare, but it isn’t unheard of in sports. In March, the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks will replay the last 51.9 seconds of a game they played in late December. In the original contest, the Hawks beat the Heat 117-111 in overtime. But after the game concluded, it had been determined that Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal was incorrectly ruled as fouling out. It’s the first time in the NBA since 1982 that two teams will take the court to settle an issue from a prior game.

Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said the team is currently appealing the goal and he thinks the NBA?s model would be an option.

?If there is such a mistake, why couldn’t we do what the NBA did?? Eaves said.

A similar decision should have been made after Ford’s non-goal against Denver. Since the two teams will not meet again this regular season, Saturday’s game would have been the only opportune time.

Instead, the Badgers will have to live with the loss on their schedule and continue to move forward with the season.

Perhaps that event will spark a second half surge for a team that has looked sluggish at times. If Wisconsin’s 7-2 victory over Denver the next night is any indication, this team definitely is out to prove something.

?You never know, it could be one of those turning points where everything just kind of flows from there,? defenseman Jamie McBain said.

Pioneers, beware. The Badgers will be ready come playoff time.

Tyler Mason is a junior majoring in journalism. If you disagree with him that the Badgers should have another chance against Denver, or have a suggestion on how to remedy the situation, let him know at [email protected].