The stitches were worth it.

Emblematic of the intensity of the crosstown rivalry, even the face of Lopes' Head Coach Danny Roy required medical treatment after it was over, but that didn't prevent the Grand Canyon University D1 Men's Hockey team from posting their first-ever wins of the D1 area over No. 13 Arizona State University this weekend. The Lopes scored three goals in the final 10 minutes of play Friday night at their home ice of AZ Ice Arcadia to win, 6-4, before outscoring the Sun Devils in the 3^rd period as well Saturday afternoon in Tempe for a 3-2 win. The wins snapped a D1 losing streak to ASU of 10 consecutive games dating back to the 2019-20 season when GCU moved up to the D1 level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

Friday: GCU 6, ASU 4

The Lopes' 2-0 deficit at the end of the first period certainly wasn't for a lack of GCU effort. GCU's offense was relentless for most of the period, firing 12 of the game's first 15 shots on goal, but couldn't find a spot past ASU goalie Dawson Rodin. Rodin's stinginess inspired his teammates to turn the tables with two goals in the span of three minutes midway through the frame.
Undeterred, the Lopes' offense began the second period in similar fashion – with much better results. Jacob Cummings began a stellar weekend with a pair of 2^nd-period assists, setting up Hunter Schmitz five minutes in to the get the Lopes on the scoreboard, then again to Anthony Petrotto with 7:44 left for a power-play goal to get the Lopes even. The Sun Devils took the momentum back going into the intermission, though, with Elliot Plourde's second goal of the evening with 82 seconds left.

Hanging their collective heads wasn't on the Lopes' agenda, since it took all of 27 seconds into the third period for the Lopes to get even, with Cummings finding the net himself (on assists from Schmitz and Petrotto) with 20 seconds left on the GCU power play. Penalties factored in the rest of the way as the Sun Devils found themselves on a 4-on-3 two minutes later and cashed it to take a 4-3 edge. Then the Lopes took over. Dual roughing penalties midway through the period cleared the way for Schmitz to score his second of the night on a 4-on-4 with 9:51 left, and when the teams returned to full strength, Triston Tabucol gave the Lopes the lead for good on a beautiful shot with just over eight minutes left. While the Sun Devils spent much of a 3^rd a man down, they were at full strength down the stretch, but clearing the goalie proved fruitless as Braden Husby ended the suspense with an empty-netter with 10 seconds left. The Lopes outshot the Devils, 42-36, in a frenetically paced game, but Riley Morgan was up to the challenge with 32 saves for GCU.

Saturday: GCU 3, ASU 2

A game already momentous for the Lopes - since it was the final game they'd ever play at Oceanside Ice Arena (ASU will leave their longtime home at the end of this season to play their games full-time at the new Mullett Arena on campus next fall) - became even more so midway through play. Once again, the Lopes were shut out in the first period, but drew their motivation to come back from one goal down in the second from an unlikely source: their head coach's face. A redirected shot in front of the Lopes' bench caught Roy just to the side of his right eye. Officials stopped play so that Roy could be tended to, but when officials, coaches and players asked the ASU alum (and former assistant coach) if he wanted to head to the hospital, the response was an emphatic 'no'.

"I'd circled this game for months, and after playing here and coaching here for ASU, and coaching here twice a year for so long for us, I wasn't about to leave that arena before the end," remarked Roy, his cheekbone stitched, bandaged and slightly swollen two days later.

With Roy in the locker room being attended to, GCU's Cameron Neaylon and Shawn Spring set up Trey Ponto to get the Lopes even midway through the period. The Lopes wouldn't trail again. Roy returned to the bench for the third period, and watched Petrotto (on assists from Cummings and Schmitz) give the Lopes their first lead with 15:18 left. ASU's Clayton Lackey evened the score at 2-2 with eight minutes left, but the Lopes had the final say with 2:44 left as Preston Larson stole the puck in the neutral zone and got it to Schmitz, who raced towards the net, dished it to Cummings behind him, then took it back from Cummings and whipped the gamewinner past ASU goalkeeper Erik Garber. GCU netminder Chase Golden truly was in the opposite net, saving 20 of 22 shots.

Schmitz's banner weekend featured three goals and a pair of assists, Petrotto added two goals and an assist, while Cummings had a goal while adding four assists (putting him in the ACHA Top 50 in that category with 16).

The Lopes' celebration about the historic sweep (as well as the healing time for Roy's face) will last three weeks, since GCU has the semester break off, resuming play January 6 against San Diego State University in San Diego, California.