This weekend, the No. 7 Cyclone Hockey team (25-7-2, CSCHL 10-4-0) will travel to Ohio for a two-game series against the conference rival No. 3 Bobcats (21-6-1, CSCHL 10-3-0).

When these two teams met earlier this season, the Bobcats managed to escape the Ames/ISU Ice Arena with a 1-1 split. This time around though, the Cyclones plan to beat arguably the toughest opponent left on their regular season schedule with a more team-oriented strategy on the ice.

“There is definitely more of a team focus in a lot of areas here now,” said ISU coach Jason Fairman. “We are trying to play percentage hockey. A lot of that is taking away individual plays; those aren’t percentage plays. If one guy tries to beat one or two guys, the percentage is not in our favor.”

Fairman has been slowly been implementing this type of hockey into the program since he took over as head coach. In the last week’s series with Indiana, he said he saw it start to take effect but that it is still a work in progress.

To ensure they take the step in this process against the Bobcats, the Cyclones have been working on puck movement and getting the puck on net this week in practice.

This will help the Iowa State get the puck to the player who has the best chance to score instead of a player attempting a flashy, individualistic goal, according to forward Mark Huber.

“We are trying to stop being cute and pretty,” Huber said. “We just need to get the puck and get some greasy goals.”

But putting the puck in the back of the net might be a challenge due to Ohio’s strong defense and goaltending. So the Cyclones are planning to use the tiny details to grind out each goal.  

“It is the little things,” said ISU forward Jake Bruhn. “It is blocking shots, getting your stick in the lane and body positioning. It is just the little things like that make a big difference if you do it, but if you don’t, it shows.”   

Fairman said the series in Ohio will help gauge where the team is and how close they are to adapting to his new systems.

“We all need to be on the same page and be a cohesive unit,” Fairman said. “Once we accomplish that, we will be able to make a national championship run. But we are ready to do that at the moment.”