Fresh off its highest final national ranking ever last March, the Grand Canyon University D1 Men's Hockey team commences its 2023-24 regular season schedule tonight with a No. 24 national ranking in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 1 Preseason Poll. The mark is just one spot below the ranking they enjoyed in the ACHA's final poll of 2022-23 and marks the 6^th straight poll that the Lopes have been among the ACHA Top 25. The Lopes are one of seven members of the Lopes' home conference, the Western Collegiate Hockey League, to be represented in the preseason poll (the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is 5^th, the University of Central Oklahoma is 6^th, the University of Arizona is just outside the top 10 (11th), the University of Utah is 18^th, and Arizona State University and Missouri State University are 21^st and 22^nd, respectively).

After setting a new single-season wins record for GCU on the Division 1 level with a 13-12-2 season in 2022-23, the Lopes take to the ice tonight in Flagstaff against their intrastate rivals from Northern Arizona University. The D1 Lopes and IceJacks – who are an ACHA Division 2 program – didn't face each other last season, but the Lopes took three of four matchups from Northern Arizona during the 2021-22 campaign. The two teams will face off at 8:30PM tonight in Flagstaff before breaking the seal on GCU's home season tomorrow night (Saturday) at 6PM at GCU's home ice, AZ Ice Arcadia, in Phoenix.

The release of the preseason poll also highlights the strength of the Lopes' 2023-24 schedule, which features eight home games against nationally ranked foes. GCU is also scheduled to face three teams currently ranked in the ACHA Top 10, including top-ranked and defending D1 national champion Minot State University in early December in North Dakota. They'll open ACHA Division 1 play next weekend against the 5^th-ranked Rebels (the only two Lopes' home games held at AZ Ice Peoria in Peoria), and square off against 6^th-ranked Central Oklahoma to close out the regular season schedule in early February in Oklahoma City.

Other ranked teams making their way to AZ Ice Arcadia during the 2023-24 campaign are No. 11 Utah (October 6-7), No. 22 Missouri State (November 3-4), and the annual rivalry showdowns against 21^st-ranked ASU (January 5-6) and 11^th-ranked U of A (February 2-3).

GCU's full 2023-24 regular season schedule is available here.