The Cyclone Hockey players have found themselves in a position this week that they haven’t had to deal with since the third week in October. For the first time in over three months, the No. 6 Cyclones (21-8-1) are looking to rebound from being on the wrong end of a conference sweep – the task won’t be easy.

After facing No. 1 Illinois last weekend, the Cyclones will host the University of Oklahoma (23-3-0), which is ranked No. 4 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s top 20 poll.

“They will be a lot like us in many different ways,” interim head coach Brian Wilkie said. “It’s going to be a physical war, and when it comes down to it, the team who wants it more is going to come out on top.”

After starting the season a blistering 19-0-0 and climbing as high as No. 2 in the national rankings, the Sooners have since dropped three of their last seven games. Although the Sooners don’t have a player in the top 20 of any ACHA offensive category, their balanced team effort leads the nation with a 6.23 goals-per-game average.

Goaltender Aaron Schmeilski’s 1.80 goals-against average also ranks him among the best in the nation, leading a Sooner defense that has surrendered just 2.23 goals per game.

Promotions run wild this weekend in hopes of fueling the Cyclones to a sweep of Oklahoma. Friday night is both Gold Rush and Cyclone Alley night at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena, giving a dollar off admission to anyone who wears gold or a Cyclone Alley T-shirt to the game.

Saturday’s contest takes the Cyclones down I-35 to Des Moines, where they will play at the Wells Fargo Arena as part of a doubleheader with the Iowa Stars.

“This is an extremely exciting thing for all of the players,” said sophomore Mike Murtaugh, who will play his second game at Wells Fargo Arena. “You go to these arenas as a kid to watch games and you idolize the older players, and it’s great to play on a rink and know what it’s like to be in their shoes.”

Despite being given the opportunity to skate in a premier arena, coach Wilkie knows that it shouldn’t have any effect on the way the Cyclones play the game.

“We all know that this is a great opportunity for the players,” Wilkie said. “But if you look at the big picture, the only difference is that the arena seats 17,000 more fans than ours does. Aside from that, it’s still 60 feet from blue line to blue line, and [the] goal is going to be the same size.”

Tickets for the game Wells Fargo Arena event are $6.50 for ISU students, and will also allow admission to the Iowa Stars-Chicago Wolves game at 7:05 p.m..

“This is a really big weekend for us,” Murtaugh said. “If we can come out of this weekend with a sweep, we have a really good chance of running the table the rest of the season, putting us in great shape for the national tournament.”