41 even-strength shots couldn't overshadow a 'shortie'.

Despite outshooting its archrivals by 20 shots Saturday night at AZ Ice Arcadia in Phoenix, the Grand Canyon University D1 Men's Hockey team had to make a shorthanded goal stand up for the final 11 minutes of play in a 5-4 victory over Arizona State University. The come-from-behind W extended the Lopes' overall winning streak to three games heading into the semester break, and was GCU's 4^th victory over ASU in the last five matchups.

It was obvious from the outset that neither team was going to let their rivals get any breathing room – as evidenced by Michael Schwartz giving the Lopes (12-4 overall, 10-2 WCHL) the first lead of the game seven minutes in – only to see ASU's Jake King match that with a power-play goal less than a minute later. Colby Jaquet staked the Lopes to a 2-1 edge with six minutes left in the first period, but neither team had the advantage by the end of the period after the Sun Devils knotted the game at 2-2 with 2:42 left. ASU took its first lead four minutes into the second frame, but once again, the lead was short-lived as GCU's Jack Dolan found room in the front of the ASU net to tie it 53 seconds later. The Sun Devils only fired 17 shots at the Lopes in the first two periods but still went to the second intermission with a 4-3 edge on King's 2^nd goal of the evening.

That's where the 12^th-ranked Lopes' defense finally dug in to take control, limiting the maroon and gold to just five shots in the final 20 minutes. That allowed Ben Oakland and Owen Hanson to set up Braden Husby with the tying goal just 24 seconds into the final period. A high-sticking call against the Lopes gave ASU a man advantage with 11:51 left, but on the ensuing Devils' attack, the puck skittered from the Lopes' net towards the blue line where GCU's Gabe Tritscher grabbed it to begin a 2-on-1 breakaway toward the ASU goal that Tommy Wardas finished by flipping it past ASU goalie Nathaniel Glenn. The Devils' offense showed signs of fatigue from there, barely getting close to GCU goalie Hunter Hein in the final 10 minutes of the game – despite clearing Glenn from the net in the game's final two minutes for a man advantage. The Lopes outshot the Devils for the game, 42-22.

The rivalry not only closed out the first half of the season but will also kick off the back half on Saturday, January 10 as the Lopes and Devils (6-10-1 overall, 2-4 WCHL) pick up where they left off at AZ Ice Arcadia. The single game will commence at 9:05PM with the puck drop. Game tickets are available on the GCU Club Sports website.