Coming off a brutal sweep by Drury, Iowa State begins its prep to face Northern Illinois. With two home games on the slate against the Huskies, the Cyclones look to regain their spark.
Both Iowa State and Northern Illinois are coming off regulation losses, with the desire to reclaim a spot in the win column.
This match-up will be a reunion of two former Midwest College Hockey (MCH) Conference teams, before the Huskies left the conference to become an independent team.
Since this switch, Northern Illinois has reshaped its identity. Last season, the Huskies concluded their season with a 13-20-2-2 record and 30 points. After 13 games this season, Northern Illinois sits second in D1 independent teams with a 10-3 record and 30 points.
Last season, the Cyclones won three of four games against the Huskies. With a new version of Northern Illinois headed to Ames, Iowa State will have to prove its dominance still stands.
Heading into this matchup, the Cyclones sit in last place in the MCH with a 2-4-1-1 record and seven points. Although the records favor Northern Illinois, Iowa State’s vengeance might just be the fuel it needs to win this series.
A desire to win won’t be enough to push the Cyclones past the Huskies, so the performance of the team leaders will determine the fate of the series.
Iowa State’s leading forward is John Kovarik, but a fellow forward climbed the points leaderboard to join him. Both Kovarik and Sam Eaton have seven points, consisting of three goals and four assists. The Huskies’ leading forward is Robbie Zimmerman, who has 10 goals and 17 assists this season.
On defense, Ben Pfannenstein leads Iowa State with six points, which consist of two goals and four assists. Defenseman Keaton Peters leads the Huskies’ defense with four goals and 15 assists.
Leading between the pipes for Iowa State is William Pinney, who has an 88% save percentage in six games. The Huskies’ goalie, Andrew Finneman, has a 94% save percentage in six games.
With individual leaders recognized, collective team statistics prove that Iowa State can compete with Northern Illinois.
On the power play, the Cyclones have a 19.5% success rate while the Huskies have a 15.5%.
The opposite goes for the penalty kill; Northern Illinois leads with an 87.9% success rate, while Iowa State has a 71.9% success rate.
Putting up penalties is a consistent flaw for the Cyclones. Iowa State has 136 penalty minutes this season, while Northern Illinois has 133. If the Cyclones can light the lamp early, stay consistent with their defense and avoid penalties, a victory may be far closer than imagined.
Northern Illinois will pay Iowa State a visit on Friday and Saturday. Both games will be played at Ames Ice Arena and have a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
