After back-to-back road trips, the ISU hockey squad will be in Ames for a weekend series against the Rams of Colorado State.

Last week, the ‘Clones were swept by rival Minot State before ending a three-game losing streak with a win at Northern State.

One of the problems the team encountered was a lack of man power. Three team members did not make the trip due to injuries suffered over the last couple of weeks.

“With the absence of any player, the team is going to have problems due to the lack of bodies,” said Cyclone forward Nat Little.

Little, along with Jeff Smith and Tony Daniels, did not travel with the squad to the Dakotas. Smith and Little are expected to be back on the ice for this series.

“Our bench was a little short last weekend,” said forward Scott Steinkamp. “With those two coming back, it will put some depth into the lineup.”

While the ‘Clones have scored an average of 6.0 goals per game, they have also allowed over 4.5 scores a contest to their opponents. This includes the last two weekends where they gave up seven or more goals three times.

“This week, we worked a lot on defensive positioning,” Steinkamp said. “We’re just going out there and working hard.”

“It’s as the old saying says: ‘With defense comes offense.'” Little said.

Although Colorado State is a Division II school in the ACHA, they bring in a little firepower and a 7-4-0 record. In their last four games, the Rams have posted a 34-2 scoring advantage, including a 15-1 win over UC-Berkeley.

However, the Cyclones are confident they can get on track, especially on home turf.

“The ISU crowd is always a good crowd to play in front of,” Steinkamp said. “We should come out more relaxed this weekend.”

“Coming back home will definitely give us more energy,” Little said.

The Clones are now in the middle of a tough stretch of games.

Two important weekend series are behind them and they will face another league opponent on the road next week.

The team is not taking this series lightly.

“This is a big weekend for us,” Steinkamp said. “We have to start out by jumping on our opportunities and playing better defense.”

“You have to stay up and be focused,” Little said. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing. You must have intensity, desire, and focus to beat them.”

The series will be played tonight and Saturday night. Both faceoffs are scheduled for 7:30 at the Ames Ice Arena.