A close game for two periods, Grand Canyon pulled away in the third to defeat Arizona State for the Lopes third consecutive WCRHL Division 1 Championship.

The first period featured an early exchange of goals. Grand Canyon’s Cole Taylor opened the scoring on the power play at 5:04. Arizona State’s Jaxon Pang evened it up by scoring just over 2 minutes later. Grand Canyon reclaimed the lead with under 1 minute to go in the first period with another power-play goal, this one from Brydon Frisk assisted by Zach Hoffman.

In the second period, both teams added one goal apiece. Luke Parker scored for Arizona State at 8:12 to tie the game at 3, but Grand Canyon answered just over a minute later when Cole Taylor scored on a pass from Zach Hoffman.

The third period belonged to Grand Canyon, who capitalized on the man advantage repeatedly. Josh Little scored a power-play goal at 7:37 assisted by Brydon Frisk, followed by Brydon Frisk scoring on another power play at 8:52 with a setup from Cole Taylor. Conner Daniel added a third power-play goal at 9:36 assisted by Kaden Paterno, giving Grand Canyon a commanding 6-2 lead that would hold up for the rest of the game.

Both goaltenders saw plenty of action in a game with multiple power-play opportunities and quality scoring chances. For Grand Canyon, Michal Nabozny stopped 17 of 19 shots for just two goals against, providing a steady backbone as his team capitalized on key opportunities. Arizona State’s Guido Pacheco faced 22 shots, made 16 saves and gave up six goals, many while shorthanded. Nabozny’s timely saves and consistent play were instrumental in keeping Grand Canyon in control, while Pacheco’s efforts kept ASU competitive despite the heavy GCU shot count.

Cole Taylor earned MVP honors after an excellent performance in Grand Canyon’s victory over Arizona State. He opened the scoring in the first period with an unassisted power-play goal and later assisted on key third-period tallies, helping his team build a decisive lead. Taylor’s impact extended throughout the day, as he had already been a standout in the three round robin games, recording an impressive four goals and seven assists.