A new trend is brewing.
 
Shaking off the effects of an five-game losing streak, the new-look Grand Canyon University Women's Hockey team showed it's coming into its own with its second consecutive sweep of a weekend series, knocking off the University of Denver twice in back-to-back games at AZ Ice Arcadia. The Lopes scored early and often in a 6-1 win over DU on Friday night, then never trailed in a much tighter 3-2 victory Saturday. The victories extend GCU's winning streak to four, which is the team's longest in almost exactly two years. It also catapulted the Lopes (5-5 overall, 4-2 WWCHL) into 4^th place in the Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League standings.

Friday: GCU 6, Denver 1

The Lopes didn't wait long before DU got off the bus before becoming rude hosts. Lopes' freshmen Kalie McNeil and Ava Johnson wound their way through the Pioneers' defense to score goals in the first 2:37 of the game to give the Lopes automatic insurance – one that Johnson would build on in the last three minutes of the period with another score. While the Pioneers scored right before the end of the period, the momentum swing never happened, since GCU senior Elaine Richardson picked up where her teammates left off, scoring her 2^nd goal of the season just two minutes into the second.
 
Johnson registered her first career 'hat trick' with goal #3 right before the second period finished, and Richardson tacked on one more with seven minutes left in the game to end the scoring. The Lopes slapped a season-high 45 shots on goal at DU goalkeeper Megan Cunningham, posting at least 10 shots in every period. Conversely, the Pioneers managed 31 shots themselves, but in her just second game in goal, GCU freshman goalie Samantha Mayberry recorded 30 saves. The balance for GCU was obvious, since six different Lopes posted assists, led by Reese Gingrich and Rory Arteaga, who each had a pair.
 
Saturday: GCU 3, Denver 2
 
Determined not to let the GCU offense own the game, the Pioneers came out firing with 15 1^st-period shots on goal and 39 for the game. However, the DU defense dug themselves a similar hole to Friday – one period later. After the two teams battled to a scoreless tie after one period, McNeil once again found early-period success, scoring within the first two minutes of the second period, which inspired Natalya Hooey to provide the same insurance as the night before just two minutes later. The Pioneers wouldn't let GCU run away with it this time, getting a Laura Daves goal with five minutes left in the second to stay within one. The score stayed that close until the latter stages of the game when GCU's Taylor Klassen slapped through an unassisted goal with just 3:25 left. From there, GCU's defense held firm until a meaningless DU score with 10 seconds left to provide the final tally.
 
Lopes' senior goalie Hannah Schneidmiller was stalwart between the pipes with 37 saves, while Klassen also added an assist (on Hooey's power-play goal).
 
The Lopes will get Veteran's Day weekend in preparation of a huge test to their winning streak: archrival Arizona State University in Tempe on Friday, November 15. The Lopes' next home matchups happen the rest of that weekend when they host the team just ahead of them in the WWCHL Standings, Colorado State University, for a pair of games on Saturday, November 16 (5:30PM puck drop) and Sunday, November 17 (noon) at AZ Ice Arcadia.