Nothing says Thanksgiving like a Hy-Vee breakfast.

While most students were busy making final preparations for their turkey feast, ISU hockey players munched on small breakfast items from the local grocery store before they boarded a plane and began a three-game series in British Columbia.

“I had a turkey sandwich for lunch, actually,” said goaltender Erik Hudson. “Had to have at least some turkey on Thanksgiving.”

The Cyclones flew more than 1,800 miles from Des Moines to Seattle and eventually made their way to Vancouver, B.C. They played three games in three days, taking on the University of British Columbia on Friday, Simon Frasier University on Saturday night, and an unusual morning contest against Trinity Western University on Sunday.

After dropping a competitive match against UBC, Iowa State beat Simon Fraser. Then, arriving at the team hotel shortly after midnight, the time of the Trinity Western game was switched to 10 a.m., meaning players had about five and a half hours of sleep between games.

“It was brutal,” Hudson said. “It sucked.”

The sleep-deprived Cyclones fell to Trinity Western by a final of 7-4.

“We didn’t have that jump in our step,” said coach Al Murdoch. “We really didn’t get rolling the way I thought we should. We ran out of time. The team, I thought, played really well.”

Iowa State flew back Monday afternoon and finally arrived at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena, where Murdoch praised his players for a positive road trip.

“I’m proud of you guys. I want to thank you for a great trip,” Murdoch said. “You all were just outstanding this weekend and I can’t thank you enough.”

Despite a loss, players and coaches alike thought the contest against UBC was clearly the best game of the weekend. Iowa State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against a top-five team in Canada, catching them off-guard. However, the Thunderbirds would surge back and net the game-winner in the third period, winning 5-4 in comeback fashion.

“I’m going to be honest, going up against UBC, I was a little bit shaky on how the outcome was going to be just because I know a lot of those players played major junior hockey,” said freshman Chris Cucullu, who was named ISU Player of the Week. “I thought it was going to be rough, but I thought we definitely went out there and competed and left everything out on the ice.”

Murdoch said his players played hard, but it was a feel-good loss going up against a tough opponent like the Thunderbirds. ISU goalie Paul Karus, who got the win against Simon Fraser, thought his team competed every single game, including the loss to UBC.

“The way we played on Friday night, we almost should’ve won,” Karus said. “Just a couple things bounced their way. We played great and played unbelievably hard.”

All three goaltenders saw action for Iowa State this weekend, including regular starter Hudson, who was in familiar territory when the team arrived in Vancouver. Hudson used to reside in British Columbia, and even played in the same arena the Cyclones played in Friday that he played in at the junior hockey level.

“It brought back some good memories,” Hudson said. “We grew as a team. You could see as the trip went on how quickly we came together.”

Team camaraderie played an important role during the five-day excursion. Players enjoyed video games together and had team dinners. The Cyclones could not avoid the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, however, as the grandmother of Brody Toigo hosted the team for a turkey dinner Sunday night. Toigo is a native of Delta, B.C., a suburb of Vancouver. His brother, Nolan, is on the Thunderbird roster, though Brody is still out with an injury and didn’t face his brother.

While some may loathe being away from home on Thanksgiving, the ISU players have handled it before at lower levels and previous years at Iowa State.

“We’re pretty used to it, especially in minor hockey you’re off in a tournament somewhere else,” Cucullu said.

Cucullu spent two years in B.C. during his run through the minor hockey levels.

“It’s a pretty normal atmosphere not being home and having Thanksgiving with your family, but that’ll change eventually down the road,” he said “But I enjoyed it. The experience was well worth it.”

The Cyclone hockey team is now back in Ames, preparing for two major battles. Final exams are in a few weeks and the No. 1 Lindenwood University Lions await on Friday night. But after playing a team like the UBC Thunderbirds, Hudson said they have the confidence to play anyone.

“The new players on the team needed to see that we are a team that can compete at the high levels,” Hudson said. “When they come in, we’re not going to be intimidated.”