Cyclone Hockey is working hard for the season’s first road series against Michigan-Dearborn. So what’s the most important thing the team needs to do before the two-game set?

“Remember to pack their skates,” said coach Al Murdoch with a laugh. “Believe it or not, some guys forget. We can make up for missing gloves or pants, but skates are hard to replace.”

Murdoch will foster this lighthearted atmosphere in his team from the moment it leaves Ames through its entire stay in Michigan.

“We practice Friday morning [In Michigan] and we’ll put our equipment in the dressing room and I’ll tell them, ‘OK, we’re home now guys, so play like it’s a home series,'” Murdoch said.

The approach may be laid back, but it works. Last season the team went 12-4-1 on the road, and that came as no surprise to Murdoch.

“Cyclone Hockey has tended to play well on the road,” he said. “As the record has shown over the years, not only do we play really well at home, but we play almost even better on the road.”

Despite Michigan-Dearborn’s passionate fan-base, the unfazed Cyclones look forward to challenging them in their home arena.

“Michigan-Dearborn has a really big fan base,” junior Mike Paulsen said. “We build off of that because we love going into somebody else’s barn and just beating them.”

But it’s not all fun and games for the Cyclones, as they still have victory in mind when they take to the road.

“Most coaches, when they go on the road, try to at least get a split,” Murdoch said. “I’m not satisfied until we have won both of them on the road, and I won’t be this weekend either.”

Not only do they want to win both games, but they have been well-coached in how to attain their goal.

“The most important thing on the road is to score the first goal,” Paulsen said. “It takes the crowd out of it and gets a team on its heels so then we have full control of the game.”

This year’s team features 12 freshman, none of who have gone on a Cyclone Hockey road trip before. Road trips, however, are nothing new to most of the freshman who traveled extensively in junior hockey leagues.

Besides a possible upgrade to a luxury travel bus, the freshmen may be looking forward to the 600-mile bus ride for other reasons.

“It is definitely a bonding period, meeting new people getting to know one another,” freshman Brent Cornelius said. “You’re in a small area so you get to talk to a lot of people.”