With Thanksgiving break over, the ISU hockey team will return to the Ames Ice Arena to host a weekend series against two league squads.

Kent State will strive to get back on the right track Friday after going 0-1-1 last week at the Michigan-Dearborn Tournament.

The third-ranked Bobcats of Ohio will be in town Saturday after a week off.

Ohio starts the weekend at 10-2-2, with its only losses and ties occurring at Eastern Michigan and Penn State, the top two teams in the ACHA.

The Bobcats also bring their trademark defense, which has given up more than two goals only three times this year, allowing 2.1 goals per game.

“Ohio is a very good defensive team,” said ISU defenseman Tory Larson. “Our defense has to play a solid zone, and we must put pressure on their net.”

While Ohio is the higher-ranked of the two opponents, the Golden Flashes of Kansas State are also a top-ten squad. They are ranked ninth in the country, and Iowa State remains cautious.

“Kent State is much-improved from the past,” Larson said. “We have to come out ready to play them Friday. We can’t look past them.”

While many teams took last weekend off, the Cyclones played at the University of Findlay, a NCAA Division I hockey school.

The team took its share of lumps, losing 11-4 and 10-1, but it made the best of its situation.

“It was definitely great to play a Division I team,” said ISU assistant coach Randy Daley. “Our guys held their own physically, but we were short on experience.”

The Cyclone players found positives in the losses.

“I feel that our defense skated pretty well with them,” Larson said. “It was a great experience to play them, especially for the rookies.”

“It’s great to play a game that doesn’t mean anything league-wise,” said ISU defenseman Jared Marean. “You can play like you have nothing to lose.”

Even though the break meant more work than play, the Cyclones enjoyed the past week.

“As a team, we came together. The town was pretty abandoned,” Larson said. “Just being on the ice kept us from losing our stride.”

“We didn’t lose a step,” Marean said. “Right now, we’re in great shape.”

This weekend marks the only time that Iowa State will play both of these teams this year, which presents a case of deja vu.

Earlier this season, the Cyclones played Michigan-Dearborn and Eastern Michigan in the same weekend. Those two games were worth eight points in the league standings, as the contests this weekend will be.

As the first half of the season winds down, ISU players and coaches know that every team is starting to hit its performance peak.

“When you’re facing any team, you have to be aware of who’s on the ice,” Daley said. “We want to try to cut down our opponent’s high percentage shots and put pressure on them at their end.”

“We have to make good passes and put the puck in the net,” Marean said. “The team that makes the least mistakes is going to win.”

The first puck will drop at 7:30 tonight and Saturday night.