Arizona Hockey splits weekend action versus Grand Canyon

Arizona Hockey (18-4), splits weekend action versus Grand Canyon, gets ready for big weekend against visiting, No. 13 UNLV Rebels.

It was a long month since the Arizona Hockey team had last played, but ultimately, the Wildcats had left off in a great place! Winners of eight straight, including a sweep over ASU, it was finally time to return to action.

On Friday evening, the Wildcats returned to the ice, to take on the visiting Grand Canyon Lopes. The last time these two teams met, Arizona escaped with a 3-2 win in overtime. This two-game series would also be competitive.

Arizona Wildcats

Hoping to continue their solid play, Arizona and GCU would come out a bit sluggish, perhaps a little rusty from the break.

Scoreless through much of the first quarter, the Wildcats would get the scoring started, when Arizona defense man Keelan Ulnick put one past the GCU goalie to make it 1-0 near the end of the first.

The second quarter would have a bit more action, but not quite what the Wildcats were looking for. GCU would score back-to-back goals early on to give the Lopes the 2-1 edge. However, the Wildcats were unable to respond.

Both teams headed into the third and final quarter, with GCU still up 2-1. Hoping to steal the momentum, Arizona got things going quickly, when forward Josh Larson scored just 90 seconds in to tie it at 2-2.

Unfortunately, that’s all that would be doing for the Wildcats, as GCU put up two more goals in the third quarter, ultimately winning by a 4-2 final. The win ended Arizona’s win streak, and gave the Cats their first home loss of the season.

Looking to rebound, Arizona would need a much better performance on Saturday evening.

Early on, it was the Lopes that opened up the scoring to take a 1-0 lead in the game. Luckily, that didn’t last long, as the Wildcats responded quickly. The Wildcats would then score back-to-back goals, to go up 2-1 and seemingly not look back.

In the second period, that’s when things would be put out of reach for good! Arizona would put together a big performance, scoring eight goals in dominating fashion.

GCU would get one back with roughly four minutes to play in the second quarter, but it was the Wildcats that put this one out of reach, leading 10-2 after the break.

Arizona would go on to win by a 11-2 final, improving to 18-4 on the year. The Wildcats will return to action again this weekend, when they take the No. 13 UNLV Rebels on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

The Wildcats have just 16 games left, before they potentially get in to the postseason.

At Zona Zealots, we’re excited for the return of Arizona Hockey and hope they can continue to play at the impressive level that they already have! Bear Down, Arizona!