After suffering their first loss on the season to the Central Oklahoma Bronchos last Saturday, Oct. 12, Cyclone Hockey is ready to get back to the basics.

The No. 4 Cyclones (9-1, 2-0 CSCHL) return home after being on the road for their past four games, where the Bronchos handed the team its first loss in a 2-0 shutout last weekend. 

But in this weekend’s series against Williston State, the Cyclones hope to dust off their winning formula that is based on fundamentals.

“We are getting back to the details,” said Cyclone team captain Mark Huber. “It is the little things. The little chips off the wall, more pucks on net, more shots off rebounds. That is the main focus this week that coach is stressing. It is the little things that we are trying to correct.”

These little things have been helping the Cyclones win all season. The team is averaging 5.4 goals per game while only allowing 1.7 goals.

However, the Cyclones have yet to face many of the tougher teams that are on their schedule. And the series against the Tetons will be no different, as they are only junior college hockey team. 

To goalie Matt Cooper, it doesn’t matter what level of team the Cyclones are playing, though. He said he wants the Cyclones go into every game planning to leave everything on the ice.

“No matter who you are going up against, you really want to come into it with the same kind of mentality,” Cooper said.

This mantra will serve Cooper and the Cyclones well since the Tetons are familiar with the term upset. Last season the Tetons beat Minot State, who was last year’s American Collegiate Hockey Association champions, and had a victory against Arizona State, No. 2 in the ACHA this year.

ISU coach Al Murdoch has been focusing on the rudiments of hockey, such as skating speed and physicality, this week in practice to make sure that the Cyclones don’t undergo the same fate as Minot State and Arizona State.

But Murdoch said he also hopes that returning to the basics will translate to better performances on the ice by the Cyclones. Murdoch said he liked to see the team move from killing 89.6 percent of their penalties to more than 90 percent.

Moreover, Murdoch said he wants the Cyclones to improve on executing the power play. Nevertheless, Murdoch’s main emphasis is still his team’s ability to put the puck in the back of the net.

“Coming out of Central Oklahoma, where they shut us out, I want to see some more offensive pop,” Murdoch said. “The offensive forwards have to put the puck in the net; that’s the biggest thing.”

This is the first time that the Cyclones have faced the Tetons. But after the humbling loss last weekend, the Cyclones aren’t taking anything for granted.

“It doesn’t matter what the rankings are. If you don’t show up to play, you’re going to lose,” Huber said. “If you don’t take someone seriously, it will back fire.”

The Cyclones will go head-to-head on the ice against the Tetons at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, and at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.