The Cyclone Hockey players will be competing for more than just a win this weekend against Dakota Bottineau.

In its final series before Winter Break, the No. 6 Cyclone Hockey team (21-5-2, 8-2-0 CSCHL) will go head-to-head on the ice against the Lumberjacks on Dec. 13 and 14. Last season — when these two teams met for the first time — Iowa State blew out the junior college Dakota Bottineau 11-0 in one game and 8-0 in another.

ISU coach Jason Fairman said he isn’t looking past the Lumberjacks and is treating the two games against them like any other because anything could happen. But he also has another motive in the series than just winning.

“I might want to take a look at some guys this weekend,” Fairman said. “Guys are being evaluated here because we are starting over, starting fresh.”

This fresh start began about three weeks ago when Fairman was named the new head coach of Cyclone Hockey. Since being named coach, he has slowly been implementing his style of hockey into the program.

So the Cyclones have been adapting to this new style, but it won’t take full effect until the Cyclones return for the spring semester, Fairman said. He said he told his players they would have to re-earn their roles on the team after the break.

“When we come back from Christmas on [Dec.] 29, I told guys it is like we are starting over,” Fairman said. “We are slowly implementing new systems. And without getting into many details about how we go about our business, it is about keeping the game simple.”

The best way to keep things simple, said junior forward Seth Serhienko, who played for Dakota Bottineau last year, is to continue keep doing what he has done on the ice all year.

“I think it is going to be just like every other week, just business.” Serhienko said. “With the new coach coming in, everyone wants to show what they can do. But it is just a regular game where we need to work hard and do our job on the ice.”

But Fairman’s evaluation doesn’t end after the team has left the ice.

“I like to think of myself as a detail-oriented person, so it is everything,” Fairman said. “How is the guy in the locker room? Does the guy help out on the road? If guys that aren’t doing the detailed oriented things, it doesn’t mean they won’t play, but it is part of a big picture.”

The players on the Cyclone Hockey team know Fairman will be gauging their play in this weekend’s series, but winning is still the main thing on their minds.

“A successful weekend is always a sweep,” said junior forward Trevor Lloyd. “[Dakota Bottineau] is not quite the challenge we have been used to, we still have to play our game and make sure we bury the puck and don’t let any upsets happen here at home.”