If fans at AZ Ice Arcadia were torn between watching hockey in a 40° hockey arena for two-plus hours or leaving early, 30 Grand Canyon University Women's Hockey players found a way to end the debate.
 
Or even three ways.
 
Playing three games in the span of 51 hours in their frigid home ice arena, the Lopes gave their fans plenty of reasons to walk to the postgame parking lot happy all three nights, using a goal in the final seconds of overtime to knock off the University of Rhode Island, 2-1, Thursday; holding off a late surge by the University of Utah to top the Utes, 4-3, Friday; then going all the way through overtime and the customary three-player shootout round to outlast Utah, 3-2, to complete the weekend trifecta Saturday night. The successful weekend extended the Lopes' current winning streak to six games, which sets a new high-water mark for consecutive victories in the program's history (the previous mark was four set in November of 2022 and matched twice by last year's team). The streak also puts the Lopes (13-9 overall, 8-4 WWCHL) in prime position to record their first-ever winning season with seven regular season games left to play.

Thursday: GCU 2, Rhode Island 1 (F/OT)

Riding high after impressively sweeping the University of Minnesota last weekend, the Lopes came out surprisingly flat offensively but held the Rams to just four shots on goal in the 1^st period to send the two teams to the 1^st intermission scoreless. The Lopes woke up in the 2^nd period, battering Rams' goalie Morgan Ainley to the tune of 27 shots in 20 minutes. However, Ainley was stout, keeping the Lopes off the scoreboard until Ava Johnson used a power-play opportunity to set up Lopes' senior Jenna Sorenson for the Lopes' 1^st score of the night with 4:57 left. Alas, the lead was short-lived, thanks to a Rams' power-play goal that spoiled Lopes' goalie Sydney Fornwald's shutout just two minutes later.
 
That's where the two offenses stalemated, each firing 14 shots on goal in the 3^rd period and having nothing to show for it. The teams headed into the five-minute overtime tired and frustrated, and it appeared that the two goalies would send the game to a post-overtime shootout, but Johnson struck again with her 2^nd assist, with Jennae Szucs pushing the puck past Ainley with just three seconds left in OT to give the Lopes the win. Fornwald stopped 29 URI shots to get the win, while Ainley had 61 saves in a losing effort.

Friday: GCU 4, Utah 3

Despite the winning streak and the winning record, the Lopes came into the two-game series as the underdogs, since the Utes (13-7 overall, 8-4 WWCHL) headed to Phoenix with a two-game lead over GCU in the standings. The Lopes eradicated that, but not without tons of resistance, since the Utes seemed to match the Lopes' efforts throughout the two nights. The Lopes never trailed Friday night, but never had a comfort zone, either, as the Lopes ended the 1^st period with 1-0 edge on freshman Brooklyn Larsen's 3^rd goal of the year. The Lopes found an insurance goal three minutes into the 2^nd period on Szucs' 2^nd goal of the weekend, then traded goals with Utah the rest of the night. Each team found the back of the net twice in the second frame – with the both of the Utes' scores coming on power plays, and Sorenson earning her 2^nd assist of the night on Aliyah Finch's score with seven minutes left. The teams' 3^rd-period scores came within two minutes of each other, once again with Szucs giving the Lopes a two-goal lead with 11:35 left, then watching UU's Ashley Paterson slap the answer through the net just past the midpoint of the period. From there, GCU's Annika Olson refused to budge, swatting away the remainder of the 31 shots Utah fired at her on the night to give her and the Lopes the victory.

Saturday: GCU 3, Utah 2 (F/OT/SO)

Olson's banner night Friday was nothing compared to the series finale, since the Utes outshot the Lopes through the first two periods, but – other than Paterson's score five minutes into the game – could muster little else. The Lopes' slow start (just eight shots in the 1^st period) kept them behind for nearly the entire first two periods, but Szucs changed the momentum with 42 seconds left in the 2^nd period by finally getting the Lopes on the board (on Sorenson's 3^rd assist of the weekend). The 1-1 tie dragged on into the latter half of the final period until another Utes' power play was cashed in by Kendall Ketchum to put the Lopes behind again. This time, the Lopes didn't wait long to answer, with – guess who? – Szucs flipping the puck past Utah goalie Miranda De Antunano with 3:47 left to send the game to overtime.

Unlike Thursday, neither team had any overtime magic, managing just four shots each, and forcing a shootout. The squads were identical in the first four rounds – goalie saves on the 1^st, 2^nd and 4^th shots, and successful scores on the 3^rd attempts from Paterson and GCU's Haley Gray. With the tension mounting, Olson stuffed Utah's Morgan Lavalley's attempt, putting the spotlight solely on GCU freshman Bridget Graybill, who weaved the puck past De Antunano to end the two-hour, 20-minute affair.
 
The Lopes continue the homestand this weekend with a two-game set against conference foe Montana State University, hosting the Bobcats on Friday, January 30 at 5:45PM, then winding up the weekend Sunday morning with an 11:30AM puck drop at AZ Ice Arcadia. Friday night will have Senior Night festivities prior to puck drop.