The Bethel University trio adds depth to GCU's roller hockey roster

PEORIA Kawena Lee was woken by teammate Zach Hoffman while taking a nap on his couch with the news that Bethel University's roller hockey team had gone bankrupt due to financial problems.

I'm still lethargic and sleepy from my nap, and (Hoffman) says, Have you heard the news? I said no, and he told me to check my email because Bethel had just shut down their roller hockey program, Lee said.

A year removed from reaching the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) semifinals, members of the Bethel University Wildcats, based in McKenzie, Tenn., suddenly found themselves in need of new playgrounds for the 2024-2025 season, and a trio of players found a home in the desert with Grand Canyon University. Along with forwards Lee and Hoffman, defenseman Josh Little also joined the move to Arizona.

While the high-level competition and program structure could be a substantial selling point for GCU, which is coming off a championship season, the newcomers admit that a current Lopes player and former Bethel transfer may also have played a role in their decision.

As soon as I heard the news, I was on the phone with them, said Ryan Meltzer, a goaltender for GCU and former teammate at Bethel. It sucks that we lost that program because it was a great program for us to play against, but my first reaction was let me get on the phone with these guys and give them the opportunity that I got when I came here had to switch. .

The structure and leadership of the GCU program are key selling points for transfers coming in from around the country for the Lopes, who open NCRHA play Saturday in a tournament in Corona, California, and kick off their home schedule Nov. 22 against the state of Arizona. at Peoria Sportsplex.

Including the three newcomers, Lopes' roster consists of eight transfers, including Aydin Schwetz, the program's director of operations. Hailing from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, Schwetz built this program from the ground floor and made it one of the most sought-after landing spots for roller players.

Our starting point for recruiting is that we care deeply about roller hockey, much more than anyone else, Schwetz said. We have built our program on two fundamental pillars from the beginning. The first is to create as many opportunities to play roller hockey as humanly possible. If you come to GCU, you can play roller hockey 16 hours a day every day of the year if you really have the drive and desire to do so.

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The other concept is that we give an s. What that means is that we, the program, are going to treat you as much as an NCAA athlete as financially possible, but you are also expected to treat yourself as much as an NCAA athlete as possible. You are the new players in our program, you have to watch what you eat, they have to train outside of our team practices because three days a week is not enough for what our goals are as a program. We take it as seriously as a sports team can take it.

The difference in games played between GCU and other college roller hockey programs also plays a role in the decision process. The Lopes will play approximately 50 games this season, 20-25 more than other programs at the Division I level. This is possible due to the increased number of tournaments the team plans, competing against traveling club teams, including teams made up of adults. This season, the Lopes have already competed in the Rhinos Cup tournament in California and face a tough schedule, much to the excitement of the newcomers.

The main selling point (for GCU) was the amount of hockey they play here, Little said. They play about double the games we played at Bethel, so that was a big factor in the decision for me.

Each transfer seems to bring something to a GCU team looking to defend its Division I championship, a title the Lopes won in their second year of existence. Hoffman, a 6-foot-1, 150-pound forward from Papillion, Nebraska, led Bethel in scoring during the 2022-2023 season.

With many other talented players around him, Hoffman is excited about the opportunity to compete with his new team.

“There are a lot of highly qualified guys coming here and being able to play with top level guys like that just makes me feel more comfortable in my position,” Hoffman said. For myself, my goal is to take things one game at a time and not rush anything. We have to win it every day and practice hard every day and come to the rink ready to work hard.

This talented group of transfers joins an already talented Lopes team. GCU will consist of a Division I team and an AA division team (a division that all schools' secondary teams can compete in), both of which are expected to make a deep run in the playoffs this season.