Growth breeds success.
And success breeds growth.
On the heels of piggybacking its
first-ever trip to nationals in 2024-25 with its
2nd straight Western Women's Collegiate Hockey League crown and 2
nd consecutive nationals berth last March, the
Grand Canyon University Women's Hockey team has announced it's expanding to putting teams in both of the American Collegiate Hockey Association's two women's divisions.
Lopes' Head Coach Reid Miller saw the move as a way to alleviate the great problem he now has: increasing numbers to his overall roster in each of the past two seasons.
When Miller was tabbed in the summer of 2024 by
Lopes' Director of Hockey Operations Danny Roy to not only take over and recharge the then-eight-year-old program but also grow it, he took it seriously. Miller had helped shore up the second and third divisions of the
Lopes' Men's Hockey program under Roy, so while he had no previous coaching experience on the women's side, he understood the basics of expansion: a positive culture and an increased competitive spirit. The 2023-24 team Miller inherited was fighting to keep two dozen players on the ice, but Miller helped expand that number to 26 the next year and to the near-ACHA limit of 29 this past season.
"The move to two teams reflects the momentum our program has built," said Miller. "It starts with building relationships, program quality and consistency. We've created a culture that players enjoy being part of, and as our reputation has grown, so has interest from recruits and their families. Adding a second team allows us to provide more opportunities for our student-athletes."
The increased roster also meant elevated success, with the Lopes' 2024-25 Cinderella team catching fire at the end of the season to breeze through the Women's Western Collegiate Hockey League playoffs and split their two games at ACHA Nationals. The 2025-26 bunch pulled off a similar feat this past March, losing their first-round WWCHL Playoff game in overtime – only to avenge that loss against top-seeded University of Colorado two days later in the championship game to again advance to the national stage. They also rewrote their own individual history books as Reese Gingrich exploded in the latter half of the 2024-25 season to win the ACHA scoring crown; and last year's squad posted 20 wins for the first time ever.
The Lopes now join an ACHA Division 2 level that sports over 80 teams, but will bolster a glaring need for the organization, since much of the team contingent is based east of the Mississippi River.
"The D2 team will play a competitive schedule with a mix of conference and regional opponents," said Miller. "Our focus is on giving players meaningful competition; designing a schedule that will allow them to compete at the national tournament; and growing not only the Division 2 team but the program as a whole."
