After posting two of their first three wins of the season against nationally ranked opponents, the Grand Canyon University Women's Hockey team has earned its highest ranking in its six-year history in the first American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 1 Women's Top 15 Poll of the 2022-23 season. The Lopes are ranked No. 12 in their first appearance in the poll since November 21 of last year, and GCU is one of just three schools to represent the western United States in the rankings (Arizona State University is 7^th, while the University of Colorado is 8^th).

While it's only the second poll listing in two seasons for them, the Lopes have spent all of that time flirting with the No. 15 spot. After they occupied that position last November, the Lopes floated between No. 15 and No. 18 for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign. The Lopes' cause was bolstered so far this fall with a 3-0 win in their home opener October 14 over Colorado, and then a 4-2 win last Saturday in Tempe that tagged the 7^th-ranked Sun Devils with their first loss of the season.

The Lopes will get little time to celebrate the historic mark as they head to the Centennial State for four games in a 36-hour span this Veteran's Day weekend, facing off against the University of Denver and then Colorado twice each. The Lopes will finally return home to AZ Ice Arcadia next Friday and Saturday, November 18 and 19, when they'll host Colorado State University in a two-game set. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:15 PM on November 18, and 7 PM the next night.


The entire ACHA Women's D1 Poll is listed below:
 

Rank	School	Record	21-22 Final Rank
1	Liberty (VA)	5-0	1
2	Adrian College (MI)	8-0	4
3	Indiana Tech	10-2	6
4	Midland (NE)	10-3-1	NR
5	Michigan	6-2	14
6	Miami (OH)	6-2-1	13
7	Arizona State	7-5-1	10
8	Colorado	7-1	15
9	Massachusetts	2-6-1	7
10	Michigan-Dearborn	5-3-1	11
11	Maryville (MO)	5-5-2	9
12	Grand Canyon	3-4	NR
13	McKendree (IL)	3-3-1	8
14	Concordia-Ann Arbor (MI)	3-6	NR
15	Lindenwood (IL)	2-4	5