With No. 9 Robert Morris next up on the schedule, the No. 7 ISU hockey team practiced with a lot of energy and kept it fun while still working hard.

ISU coach Al Murdoch had the team yelling things like “arriba arriba, andale andale” while they were doing their drills to keep everyone motivated.

“I told them, I’m not going to come out here anymore unless I’m having fun,” Murdoch said. “And the best way for them to make sure I have fun is that they’ve got to have fun.”

Murdoch isn’t the only person there who thinks they need a lot of energy at practice.

“The motivation factor is there every day,” defenseman and co-captain Brandon Clark said. “It’s for us to have a lot of energy, a lot of hop in our step.”

This Friday and Saturday night the Cyclones (23-5-1-4) will play a pair of games against the Eagles (21-4-0-1). The Cyclones are currently at the top of the Central States Collegiate Hockey League with 73 points while the Eagles are in fourth with 61 points.

Last weekend both teams swept their opponents on the road. The Cyclones came away with a 4-2 win on Friday and a 2-1 win on Saturday against Illinois. The Eagles swept No. 22 Kent State with a 7-4 win on Friday and an 8-0 win on Saturday.

This Friday and Saturday night is the beginning of what Murdoch has been describing as being “like playoff hockey.”

Currently, the only injured player the Cyclones have is goaltender Jared Andersen, who injured his leg in practice last week. Murdoch said he’s very close to being back to 100 percent health, but they will probably still hold him out of the games on Friday and Saturday.

This time last year, Iowa State had 14 losses in regulation on its record and the national tournament, which it ultimately did not make, was in question. This year, however, they only have five losses in regulation and look more like a national tournament team.

“This is the best team I’ve seen,” Clark said. Clark is currently in his third year with the Cyclones. “We’re deep. We can count on every line to play, whereas last year we had maybe the top two or three lines. This year we have all four lines that can go out and get the job done, and they’re filling in their own role.”

The No. 7 ISU hockey team will play against No. 9 Robert Morris this Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 8:05 p.m. at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.