The No. 10 ISU men’s hockey club continues its stretch of matches against ranked teams by hosting No. 13 Arizona State this weekend.

In their last two series, the Cyclones recorded back-to-back splits against No. 6 Minot State and No. 15 Kent State, and are bracing for their third consecutive top 15 opponent.

Iowa State hopes to continue the momentum from its most recent win, Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Kent State, into this weekend.

The team recognizes that the season is winding down, and each game can determine whether or not the team reaches the postseason tournament.

Assistant coach Andrew Hancock, filling in for head coach Alan Murdoch who is currently in Austria for the World University Games, said that he knows the importance of every game.

“This weekend will be a big series for us,” Hancock said. “We will be fighting to solidify our tournament resume, as will they.”

Hancock is expecting a tough series with the Sun Devils.

“They are coached by a great staff and are very tenacious. They aren’t the biggest, but they fight really hard for everything,” he said.

He said he feels his team will have to match Arizona State’s intensity and fight just as hard.

The Cyclones have been preparing physical play this weekend and said they hope to wear down Arizona State.

“We’ve been really practicing our fore-checking and skating this week, so hopefully we’ll be fresh and can wear them down,” said senior defenseman Mike Moren.

This weekend presents a great opportunity for Iowa State. The Cyclones play Saturday’s game in Des Moines, where they see the opportunity to expand their fan base and get some new enthusiasm in the crowd. Hancock said that the team hopes to see 2,000 to 3,000 fans at the game Saturday.

“It’s an exciting weekend for us, getting to play in front of a large crowd and hopefully bring some new fans to Iowa State hockey,” Moren said.

Friday’s game will be played at 7:30 p.m. in the Ames/ISU Ice Arena, with Saturday’s game at 7:30 p.m. in the Des Moines Buccaneers ice arena, 7201 Hickman Road.

All ISU season tickets will be honored in Des Moines.