Plenty of déjà vu going in.
 
Not much of it heading out.
 
Seeking to at least repeat the 1-1 outing they enjoyed at the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division 1 National Championships last March, the Grand Canyon University Women's Hockey team's couldn't make an early lead stand up in a 4-1 loss Friday night to 8^th-seeded Niagara University (New York) in its final pool-play game of the tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. The decision sent the Lopes – who earned the 12^th and final seed in the tournament after their 2^nd straight Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League title last month - home with an 0-2 record in the tournament after dropping a 4-0 loss to top-seeded (and eventual ACHA Runnerup) Liberty University (Virginia) Wednesday night.
 
While the disappointment on the plane ride home reached every player and coach, when Lopes' Head Coach Reid Miller searched for the positives, he didn't have to look much further than the goalie position, which was up for grabs going into the season with the graduation of four-year starter Hannah Schneidmiller last April. However, in the postseason, Miller saw pure freshman Annika Olson record 91 saves while playing every minute in GCU's three games at regionals, then followed that up Wednesday night with a record-shattering 88 saves against the defending national champion Flames. In fact, it wasn't until Liberty's 30^th shot of the night early in the 2^nd period did Olson give up the scoreless tie, and the Anoka, Minnesota native finished strong by allowing just a single 3^rd-period goal despite 27 more Liberty shots.

"It's always great to see our players set milestones, and Annika is someone who stays calm, cool and collected in any situation," said Miller. "I am amazed by what she was able to do and super excited for her."

The Flames' defense simply refused to allow GCU offensive chances in the Wednesday win, allowing just 20 shots all night. The Lopes strove to change that against Niagara with 18 shots on goal against the Purple Eagles in the first 20 minutes alone, but still went to the 1^st intermission scoreless. GCU's Elizabeth Ramsey kept the momentum alive with the Lopes' lone goal of the tournament 81 seconds into the 2^nd period, but Niagara took over in a hurry from there, scoring all four goals over the next six minutes to take the lead for good. The Purple Eagles protected the lead with an extremely aggressive 3^rd period that saw 12 penalties and three ejections between the two teams in the final 12 minutes of play.

"Our team struggled in the 2nd period all year," said Miller. "We are young and at times, the break in-between periods gets to us. Our issue is the breakdowns in the defensive zone, but nevertheless, the growth we've had overall is something very special to be a part of. Our goal is to have growth and success, and in order to do that, we all must get better.."

The Lopes cap off the 2025-26 campaign with a program-record 20 wins. Their 20-13 overall record also sets a new mark for season winning percentage for the team, and it's the second straight season the Lopes finished four games above .500 in WWCHL play with a 9-5 mark.