The pleasure and the pain of a two-game series.

Less than 24 hours after a disappointing outing in Game 1 of the two-game series, the Grand Canyon University D1 Men's Hockey team showed its potential Saturday night at AZ Ice Arcadia, posted its first-ever shutout as a Division 1 program with a 6-0 victory over San Diego State University. The win earned the Lopes a series split after dropping a 4-2 decision to the Aztecs on Friday. The Lopes have now won five of their last seven matches to up their overall record to 7-10, while SDSU heads back to California with a 5-9 overall mark. The series was the final home set for the Lopes before the semester break.

Friday: San Diego State 4, GCU 2

The good news for the Lopes' offense? They outshot the Aztecs throughout the weekend by a wide margin (74-39 over the two games). The bad news was that the results didn't come to fruition until Saturday. SDSU goalie Garrett Fuller was more than up to the challenge of keeping the Lopes' offense at bay Friday, since the Lopes never found breathing room – on the scoreboard or in front of the Aztecs' net. 27 minutes of scoreless hockey finally ended when GCU's Ricards Landmanis got assist passes from both Braden Husby and Ethan Peterson to slap the puck past Fuller for a 1-0 lead in the 2^nd period. The momentum that the Lopes expected to take to the locker room with them in-between periods vanished, though, when SDSU's Braden Mayer poked it past GCU goalie Jacob DeMoranville in a pack of players around the GCU goal with just two seconds left in the period to tie the game. The Lopes took the lead back early in the 3^rd with a Ben Oakland goal, but the rejuvenated Aztecs answered less than three minutes later. The Lopes still outshot the Aztecs, 11-7, in the final frame, but the Aztecs used their shots wisely, taking the lead with just under four minutes left, then leaving things up to Fuller to keep GCU scoreless until SDSU put it out of reach with an empty-netter in the final 24 seconds.

Saturday: GCU 6, San Diego State 0

It took little time for the fans to see that the energy level between the two teams Saturday was drastically different, since the Lopes bombarded the Aztecs in the first 20 minutes to the tune of 25 shots on goal. This time, the Lopes weren't just active but efficient. The combination of Peterson, Cameron Neaylon and Hunter Schmitz worked the SDSU defense twice in the first 14 minutes of play to give the Lopes a 2-0 lead (Neaylon cashing in both goals on a pair of assists from the other two), and the Aztecs looked tired. The onslaught continued in the second frame, with Tanner Booth (his first as a Lope), Caden Henrikson and Gavin Uckele all finding the back of the Aztecs' net to not only start the rout but chase Fuller from the game. By the time GCU's Triston Tabucol ended the scoring in the game's final minute, the Lopes had outshot San Diego State, 45-13, nine different GCU players had contributed at least one assist, and GCU goalie Riley Morgan had put themselves in the Lopes' record books by stopping all 13 shots on goal for the shutout.

After Thanksgiving and GCU Fall Break ends this weekend, the Lopes' toughest test comes with a trip to Minot, North Dakota to battle defending American Collegiate Hockey Association champion (and currently top-ranked) Minot State University December 1 and 2. They'll then have the rest of the semester off before getting back into the heart of conference play with a two-game series against archrival Arizona State University Friday and Saturday, January 5 and 6 at AZ Ice Arcadia. Puck drop both nights is scheduled for 7PM.