The No. 8 ISU hockey team will play their final two home games of the season this Friday and Saturday night against ACHA Division II opponent Waldorf College with Friday being senior night.

The ISU community will be saying goodbye to the Cyclones’ only senior and current captain Brian Rooney. Going into this weekend Rooney has played in 151 games in a Cyclone Hockey jersey.

Rooney has tallied 73 total points so far in his career, 33 goals and 40 assists. His career-high came last season when he had 25 regular season points, 11 goals and 14 assists. He is just one point away this season from matching last season’s mark. He has 11 goals and 13 assists.

“My main role here since I came in four long years ago was never necessarily to be that guy to put up all the points, but rather to do the things that don’t show up on the score sheet,” Rooney said. “Create energy for the team and, in my later years, be there in a leadership role.”

ISU coach Al Murdoch said that what he lacks in offense he makes up for on team defense.

“He’s spent a lot of time on the penalty kill,” Murdoch said. “He’s one of the reasons our penalty kill percentage is so good.”

In all four seasons, Rooney has been ranked in the top five in team penalty minutes. His freshman year he was fourth on the team with 43 penalty minutes despite only playing 30 games that season. This season, he is second on the team with 68 penalty minutes, a career high. Rooney admitted to being a bit of a scrapper.

“That might be an understatement, it’s a part of my personality,” Rooney said. “Especially my freshman year, I knew that if I wanted to be in the lineup I was going to have to do some dirty work.”

“It’s probably the style that fits hockey very well: fearless,” Murdoch said. “He’s also a very good rugby player, and that’s the style in rugby as well, fearless. The harder you hit them, the harder they fall.”

After graduation, Rooney said he is open to playing professional hockey over seas, but if that does not work out, he will continue to play rugby and work in the electrical business. He said he even has an outside chance at playing rugby for the United States at the 2016 Olympics.

Waldorf (14-4) is going into the weekend 18th in the ACHA Division II Central Division standings. The Cyclones (26-9-5) are second in the CSCHL standings with 82 points, five behind the leader and CSCHL tournament champions, Lindenwood, who has 87 points.

Iowa State will be without its senior defenseman Brody Toigo for the final two home games of the season. Murdoch said he tweaked his back in practice following their games against Kent State on Jan. 13 and 14. He still has a year of eligibility left.

The Cyclones take the ice one last time for the season at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. both nights. Friday night will be senior night.