Penn State men’s hockey’s 2017-18 season came to close on Saturday night following its 5-1 loss to Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Nittany Lions never looked like they had a chance to win at any point throughout the game as the Pioneers flexed their muscle as one of college hockey’s truly elite programs. Denver’s top line of Jarid Lukosevicius, Henrik Borgström, and Troy Terry combined to score four goals and three assists. The three players generated offense at will whenever they were on the ice. Additionally, the Pioneers’ defense locked down Penn State’s notoriously potent offense, limiting the unit to just 27 shots on goal by consistently filling shooting lanes and playing aggressively.

While it may be easy to dwell on the negatives of Saturday’s game, it’s important to remember that qualifying for the NCAA tournament in consecutive seasons is an impressive accomplishment — especially in a sport with as much parity as college hockey. The progress that Penn State has made in just six seasons of Division I hockey is incredible, and nobody would have predicted two consecutive tournament appearances happening this soon when Penn State first began Division I play in the 2012-13 season.

However, Saturday’s game was a harsh reminder of the fact that Penn State just isn’t up there with college hockey’s elite quite yet.

Denver didn’t see too much turnover from its national championship-winning squad last season. The only notable loss was that of defenseman Will Butcher, who graduated and is now an NHL regular with the New Jersey Devils. Drawing the defending national champions in the first round of the NCAA tournament gave Penn State a chance to directly compare itself to a truly elite team, and by the end of the game, the comparison looked extremely unfavorable for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions just couldn’t get anything going against Denver’s air-tight defense, and looked lost when the Pioneers’ star forwards put it together in the offensive zone. From the drop of the puck, the 7,491 fans in attendance at the PPL Center in Allentown knew Penn State was completely outmatched.

Penn State’s tough loss is made even more disappointing by the fact that Denver was decisively ousted from the tournament by Ohio State in the midwest regional final. Three of this year’s Frozen Four participants compete in the Big Ten as the conference forges a reputation as one of the best in the nation.

While the end result of this season may be disappointing, the team still has plenty of room to grow. Seventeen of the team’s 21 skaters in Saturday’s lineup will return next season, and with at least one full season of NCAA hockey under their belts.

For now, the disappointment of an early NCAA tournament exit stings, especially considering the fact that it serves as a reminder that Penn State hockey is not yet elite.