After getting upset by Central Oklahoma, Iowa State hits the road for its first half of a two-week road streak. With the addition of two losses, the Cyclones now sit 4-10 with 13 points on the season. The weekend series on the slate is against Midland.
With two teams battling at the bottom of the conference, the series looks to rejuvenate either team. Both teams come into the series with four straight losses.
The Warriors enter the series with a 2-10 record with nine points. As Iowa State looks like the favorite in the series, the team has proven to get swept by sneaky teams, making this anyone’s game.
Over the last three seasons, the Cyclones have held a 6-1 record against the Warriors. Will this series become Midland’s chance to flip the script, or will Iowa State continue its dominance?
Going into this season, the Cyclones’ leading scorers look to drive the team into a conquerable clash.
Iowa State’s leading forward is Dylan Hender, who has 13 points in 12 games played. Hender has eight goals and five assists. The team’s leading defenseman is Ben Pfannenstein, who has eight points in 14 games. Pfannenstein has two goals and six assists.
For the Warriors, Thomas Babb leads the team forwards with nine points. Babb has five goals and four assists. The team’s leading defensemen is Leo Milan, who has four points with three goals and one assist.
Among goalie comparisons, the Midlands goalie outperforms Iowa State in both save percentage and average goals allowed. Liam Tereposky has 90% save percentage with three goals allowed on average. William Pinney trails with an 88% save percentage and four goals allowed on average.
With slim differences in the upcoming matchup, the Cyclones’ key to winning is focusing on eliminating penalties from their game. This might be considered a notable advantage as Midland leads Iowa State with a 248-227 penalty minutes differential.
The success of penalty minutes hinges on how both teams can contribute, or silence opponents, on the power play and penalty kill.
On the power play, the Warriors lead with a 17% success rate while the Cyclones are 15% successful. Similarly, Midland leads on the penalty kill with a 79.7% success rate compared to Iowa State’s 79%.
This is a pivotal series on the line for both the Cyclones and the Warriors, as they battle to reclaim a spot in the winning column and reset the respective teams’ spirits.
Iowa State will take on Midland Friday and Saturday, both with puck drops set for 7 p.m. Both games will be played at Sidner Ice Arena in Fremont, Nebraska.
