In the world of ice hockey, this one's a rarity.

Thanks to the ¾ inch of rain that fell in the Phoenix area, the Grand Canyon University D1 Men's Hockey team overcame slightly foggy conditions inside AZ Ice Arcadia Saturday against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, but couldn't overcome two key mistakes in the final five minutes of play in a 5-2 loss to the 4^th-ranked Rebels. The Lopes never got the chance to avenge the loss, since the second game of the series Sunday afternoon was called off after just eight minutes of play due to unplayable conditions. The loss left the Lopes with a 5-9-1 overall record with two games left to play before the semester break.

Saturday: UNLV 5, GCU 2

While the final score indicated a more dominant performance by the visitors, most in the arena would argue that it was anyone's game to win for the first 55 minutes of play. While the Lopes never led, they matched the Rebels score for score during the first period. UNLV got on the board in the game's 5^th minute, but held the lead for just 41 seconds – thanks to Griffin Duininck's 4^th goal of the season. The Rebels expected to take the momentum into the locker room after breaking the tie with six minutes left in the frame, but were robbed of that with 39 seconds left on a well-executed goal from GCU's Gavin Uckele (on assists from Jacob Cummings and Kory Potach) to tie it again.

From there, the pace of the game picked up significantly, but that only helped fire up the two defenses, not the scoring lamp. The Lopes doubled up the Rebels in 2^nd-period shots on goal, 10-5, but it was the Rebels' Alec Johnson responsible for the period's only goal with 6:27 left to break the tie. The 3^rd period was even more frenetic-with few penalties and even fewer shots. The two Lopes' penalties in the period, though, factored into the final score, since with 5:12 left in the game (and one second left on the UNLV power play), Bradley Golant gave the Rebels some insurance and a 4-2 lead. Roughing penalties on each team with just under three minutes left set up a 4-on-4, and gave the Lopes less traffic to deal with on the ice, but not more opportunities, and the Rebels ended the suspense with the final goal with 1:19 left.

Sunday:  game postponed

The aftermath of Saturday's steady rains wasn't fully felt at the rink until Sunday, when fans walked in to see a thicker fog coming off the ice. Officials monitored it during the first six minutes of play, and when the fog intensified and visibility dropped, coaches and referees huddled to decide whether to continue. The five-minute discussion ultimately allowed the teams back on the ice to play.

But not for long.

Less than two minutes later, in a development that at least one of the veteran referees working the game said he's never seen before, AZ Ice Arcadia staff alerted game officials that to avoid allowing the increasing waters (from the rain's runoff) in the back room by the Zamboni machine to flow onto the ice, they wouldn't be able to manicure the ice in-between periods the rest of the game (as required by American Collegiate Hockey Association rules). Officials immediately postponed the game with 12:19 left in the first period. The teams have begun discussions on ways to make up the game, but no reschedule date has been announced.

Assuming that the problem is fixed in time, the Lopes' final home game of the 2022 side of the schedule happens this Friday, December 9, when they begin a home-and-home series with crosstown rival Arizona State University. Puck drop at AZ Ice Arcadia is scheduled for 7PM.