Grand Valley State University is known for its out-of-state population just about as well as the state of Arizona is known for its proficiency in ice hockey. And while the two may seem completely unrelated, GVSU senior Grant Lyon has shown both to be misconceptions while playing a half-decade of hockey in Allendale.

Entering his fifth season on the GVSU Division II men’s ice hockey team, Grant Lyon of Scottsdale, Ariz., has proven even guys from the desert can compete, and excel, in ice hockey at a national level.

Lyon told two different stories about his decision to become a Laker. First he told of how his parents were from Illinois and he had relatives in Chicago, so he chose the nearby GVSU as something that was close – but not too close – to his nearby family.

However, with some prodding Lyon revealed his decision was also based on something countless other high school seniors can relate to: a girl.

“She was from Michigan,” he said. “And she gave the age-old line that we were going to be together forever, so I fell for that hook, line and sinker.”

That relationship is long since over, but Lyon found his own reason to see GVSU as the right school for him.

“The hockey program was just starting to blossom,” he said. “I came in at a great time, so when I met with the coaching staff, met the players and saw the locker room, it was appealing.”

Though hockey may be perceived as a sport dominated by the northern states, Lyon said his travel team in Arizona often surprised teams around the nation.

“One thing I liked about travel hockey in Arizona is that a lot of people underestimate the level of play,” he said. “My team was always top-15 in the country and we’d go into a tournament, granted we’d have to travel all over, and we’d surprise people.”

If temperatures in the triple digits weren’t enough to hinder hockey’s chance in Arizona, Lyon said his travel scheduled mirrored that of an NHL team. With very few ice rinks in the entire state, Lyon had to travel elsewhere to compete.

“I can’t remember how many states I’ve been to because of hockey,” he said. “It’s at least in the 30s, maybe in the 40s. But one weekend we’d be in Boston, the next weekend we’d be in Seattle, the weekend after that we’d be in Toronto and then Florida. We would go all over the country because no one wanted to go to Arizona to play. We’d go out to these tournaments and win the whole thing, and it was so surprising to everybody that an Arizona team could take down these other clubs.”

In addition to the ice hockey team, Lyon is heavily involved in his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. In fact, he played a part in recruiting fellow teammate and defenseman Craig Marrett into joining the same frat.

Lyon, who served as the president of the hockey team for three years and president of ATO for another, is often so busy that GVSU coach Mike Forbes doesn’t always understand how he finds the time to handle all of his responsibilities.

“The guy is such a social monster that sometimes, from selfish standpoint, I wish that he’d give himself a break,” he said. “But I don’t think its any coincidence that we’ve been to four national championship tournaments knowing the teams that we’ve had and the strength of our goaltending.”

Goaltending has been the most consistent facet of the Lakers’ arsenal since Lyon joined the team, due in large part to his play, but also to the play of fellow goalie Josh LaVigne. LaVigne and Lyon split time, but the two have been good friends since LaVigne was called up from the Division III team three seasons ago.

“It’s nice to have someone older than you that you can come in and learn the ropes from a bit,” LaVigne said. “He’s someone who helps and is friendly, not someone who is cold to you and just battling with you the entire time.”

After his final season wraps up, Lyon has a job lined up as an expansion consultant for his fraternity. He said he knows it will be time to move on from hockey and find a job.

“I’ve accomplished everything that I’ve wanted at GVSU except for a national championship,” he said. “I think this is the year we can do that. Hopefully after this year I’ll have everything knocked out of the way.”

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