Arizona’s women’s hockey made history playing in the program’s first series against Grand Canyon University in both Tucson and Phoenix. The Wildcats lost their first game 2-1 in the Tucson Convention Center on Thursday, Sept. 26, but they turned around and won 5-4 after traveling up to GCU on Saturday, Sept. 28. 

The Wildcats battled through Thursday night’s game, putting a significant amount of shots on goal. Only one of them fell for Arizona though. 

Savannah Allen, a freshman defenseman, scored the team’s only goal of the game. 

“It felt really good. Obviously I couldn’t have done it without my team. They really set up that play and looked for the open pass,” Allen said. 

The Lopes scored prior to Arizona’s goal and followed the Wildcats’ goal with another one of their own, leading them to their 2-1 victory over the Wildcats. 

The Wildcats received six penalties in the third quarter alone which threw off the team’s balance on the ice. However, they held strong until the clock ran out, not allowing a third goal. 

Despite the outcome of the game, head coach Caitlin Hogan remained positive and driven for their next game.

“I told all the girls that it’s always tough to lose, but I could not be more proud of the effort that they put on the ice,” said head coach Caitlin Hogan. “We’re gritty, we’re resilient, we’re relentless.”

Arizona used this confidence to their advantage in the second game against GCU on Saturday. Despite bing on the road, the Wildcats came out victorious. 

Freshman forward Kenzie Carson led the team to success with two goals for Arizona in both the first and second period. Allen, freshman defensemen Lucy Verderber and Brynn O’neill, a freshman forward, had the other three goals for the Wildcats as they won 5-4.

After the weekend against GCU, Arizona stands at 1-1 for their season. 

Looking ahead:

Women’s hockey will take on the Minot State Beavers at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4-5 at Maysa Arena in North Dakota.

Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X