28 games played against 10 different NCRHA opponents. 25-0 against nine of them.
 
If not for that 10^th one…
 
After powering through a nearly flawless regular season and then breezing its way to a conference championship, the Grand Canyon University Roller team came within one period of clinching its second straight National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Division 1 National Championship before falling, 2-0, to Lindenwood University (Missouri) in the championship game in Fort Myers, Florida. The loss was only the 3^rd one all season for the Lopes against NCRHA teams – all three at the hands of the Lions, who won their 3^rd national title in the last four seasons. The Lopes finished 3-2 at the three-day national tournament.
 
The Lopes' offense came to the Sunshine State playing some of its most torrid hockey of the season, putting up eight goals or more in four of its last five contests. That included a 10-1 shellacking of the University of Arizona to begin the Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League Tournament a month ago, and an 8-3 rout of Arizona State University in the league championship game to win that crown again. The Lopes' first-round opponent at nationals? U of A, who fared no better this time around, giving up eight straight goals before ruining GCU's shutout in the game's final 75 seconds as the Lopes advanced with an 8-1 win.
 
Waiting in the wings was a second-round showdown with ASU, whose defense turned the tables on the Lopes, holding GCU scoreless for the first 25 minutes of play. The Lopes had to earn the victory the hardest way possible, with Brydon Frisk tying the game two minutes into the 3^rd period on a shorthanded goal, then after ASU took the lead again with 3:13 left in the game, Frisk tied it again just 45 seconds later. A crucial ASU penalty with two minutes left opened the door for GCU to avoid overtime, and the Lopes walked through it on a Josh Little power-play goal with 47 seconds left to give the Lopes the 3-2 win. The Lopes' final pool-play matchup was against Lindenwood, who also forced the Lopes to play from behind after taking a 2-0 lead after one. The Lopes battled back with goals from Frisk and Zach Hoffman to send the game to the 3^rd period tied at 2-2, but two unassisted Bennett Blake goals in the final period helped power the Lions to a 5-2 win. The loss didn't hurt GCU, though, since both teams qualified for spots in the semifinals.
 
The Lopes' semifinal game should've been an offensive onslaught, since GCU and Rowan University (New Jersey) combined for a tournament-high 60 shots on goal. You'd never know it by looking at the scoreboard, though, since the Lopes' Warren Jelinek provided the only score in the game's first 14 minutes, then the Profs' Aadan Plank provided the neutralizer two minutes into the 2^nd period. Frisk practically went straight from the locker room to the Profs' net, breaking the 1-1 tie on another unassisted goal just 38 seconds in. The Profs' Dylan Koski tied the game midway through the frame, then the Lopes took over as Little and Hoffman (with an empty-netter) scored in the final 2:13 to send the Lopes back to the title game.
 
As expected, the Lopes stood across from Lindenwood – who dispatched ASU in their semifinal, 5-2 – in the final matchup. According to Lopes' Head Coach Aydin Schwetz, though, what wasn't expected was the deteriorating condition of the rink as the ice underneath the tile began to melt during the final, causing slick conditions on the playing surface. The Lopes outshot the Lions for the game, firing 11 shots at Lindenwood in the second period alone, but neither team found paydirt as the teams went into the 2^nd intermission still scoreless. The two offenses combined for 19 shots on goal in the final 12 minutes, but still seemed destined for overtime until the Lions' Clayton Liefeld put the puck past Currie with just over three minutes to play. The Lopes were still within range until LU's Jack Wedoski put it out of reach with 1:54 left. Lopes' goalie Maxim Currie wound up with 21 saves in the losing effort and netted 88 saves while in goal for every minute of the tournament. Meanwhile, Frisk scored seven of the Lopes' 17 goals in the tournament, while Ruben Gonzalez added three.
 
"I am incredibly proud of this team and this entire program in their performance this season, and every success we see - on and off the rink - pushes our ideology to grow and legitimize the sport in the eyes of the general public that much further," said Schwetz. "A loss like this was hard to take. We know - both in our hearts and going back and rewatching the game - we dominated the game from the hop in every column except our ability to skate in water puddles. Regardless, every loss is motivation to continue to work harder and strive to become a dynasty in roller hockey and at GCU."
 
The Lopes, who became the third western conference team ever to win the Division 1 title a year ago, finished the 2024-25 campaign with an overall record of 36-7-2 (the most wins in a single season in the program's three-year history) and a perfect 16-0 mark in WCRHL play.