"After what we went through last year, with not getting the opportunity to let our senior class play out a full season and get the final experience of a senior night, it was nice to get back to that process on Saturday," said Lopes' Head Coach Danny Roy.
Following some disappointing losses to the University of Utah the previous weekend, the Grand Canyon University D1 Men's Hockey Team returned with force, sweeping a two-game homestand against Northern Arizona University, beating the IceJacks, 9-1 and 8-4. The wins were made even more special by the Lopes honoring a handful of seniors in the process during their regular season home finale at AZ Ice Arcadia.
Friday: GCU 9, NAU 1
The Lopes' offense was displayed in high-flying fashion throughout Friday's game. GCU junior forward Preston Larson got the scoring started six minutes into the first period. From there, the Lopes never really looked back, scoring the next six goals to put it out of reach. Lopes' freshmen tandem Jacob Cummings and Dylan Dent found themselves heavily involved in the action, each scoring or assisting on four of the Lopes' nine goals on the night.
The Lopes' defense was also stellar, allowing just 17 shots on goal, with GCU Goalie Cameron McIntosh saving all but one attempt.
Saturday: GCU 8, NAU 4
The second half of the doubleheader did have a slightly different feel to it - at least initially. The Lopes got on the board early in the first period thanks to an unassisted goal from Jacob Cummings, but NAU answered back quickly to tie it. Cummings added two more goals in the first period and helped GCU take a 4-2 lead entering the break.
Despite the Lopes putting 20 shots on goal in the second, GCU only managed a single goal in the period before blowing it open in the third period to complete the sweep.
The Lopes honored their seniors on Saturday, and the starting lineup featured all five of them: Sam Wiedenbaum, Matt Mezik, Callum Tomlin, Sam Hernandez, and Scott Kasaboski.
"To allow a few of our guys who have been with us for a couple of years to play their final game here, and even someone like Scott (Kasaboski), who just came to us before the weird season last year, it's been special to see them in the GCU jersey," said Roy. "These guys have seen where we were when they started with the program, and they can put their stamp on the legacy of growth they've experienced - both as hockey players and as adults."
The Lopes ended their 2021-22 season a week later in Las Vegas, Nevada, dropping a pair to the UNLV Rebels, 3-2 and 6-3. The Lopes wrapped up their season with a record of 10-20 overall.
"The continual growth of our program has exploded into the hockey community on a national scale, and the level of recruits we're getting interest from reflects that," said Roy. "I can't wait to hear what the guys' goals are for next season."
