As the weather is getting colder, Cyclone Hockey is getting hotter. The team is expecting the season to heat up again this weekend during its series with the Hawkeyes.

Cyclone Hockey will try to maintain its dominance over their counterparts from the University of Iowa (13-7-1) this weekend in two games – one at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena on Friday and the other at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena on Saturday.

The Cyclones have never lost to the Hawkeyes. The teams’ last meeting was a two-game series earlier this year, which Iowa State swept, 8-1 and 8-4. Since that series, the Cyclones have won six games in a row.

“I thought we played them at a time when our team was starting to click,” said head coach Al Murdoch. “The second half of the fall semester, we really started to get into shape. Our timing was good. We were clicking on all cylinders.”

Murdoch believes the team has continued that growth since the previous series and has gotten even better.

“I think our depth has really solidified. We are deep down through four lines, we are deep down through four sets of [defense] and we are deeper down in goaltending, with the addition of Eric Hudson, than we have been in a long time,” Murdoch said.

Although the Cyclones feel they are rolling, they are careful not to overlook Iowa.

“They’ve got pretty good quality players that come in with experience. I think that’s the best Iowa team I’ve seen,” Murdoch said. “We can’t take them too lightly.”

What makes the Hawkeyes better than in years past may be their tough style of play, said freshman defenseman Brady Irwin.

“They are physical, they like to get under your skin and, even though they are D-II, they really aren’t that bad of a team,” Irwin said. “The way they play physically helps them out.”

The Hawkeyes’ physical nature this season helped to intensify the intrastate rivalry. The last time the two teams met, a fight broke out – one of the few fights the Cyclones have been involved in all season.

“One of their guys was running around cheap-shotting guys, so finally [sophomore defenseman Adam] Mueller stepped up and took care of him,” Irwin said. “It was a good fight in front of a huge crowd.”

Murdoch made no apologies for the fight in the last series.

“Hockey is a physical game,” Murdoch said. “We cover each other’s back, there is no question about it. If somebody is playing in a manner they shouldn’t be, we let them know.”

Although he isn’t sorry that it happened last time, Murdoch also said that he hopes he can avoid a similar conflict in this series.

“For us, our next series is against the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Illinois, so we can’t afford to have anybody out with a suspension,” Murdoch said.