After the conclusion of a two-series road game streak, Iowa State returns to Ames to host McKendree. With the Cyclones’ last home victory coming in mid-October, closing out the semester’s homestand with a victory looks to drive the team.
Both Iowa State and McKendree are 3-7 in the last 10 games, but with a current two-game win streak, the Bearcats come to Ames ready to disrupt the home ice.
The Cyclones trail, as they are on a three-game losing streak. Between injuries and an offensive slump, a rebound by the team starts to become a desperate wish.
With a conference matchup on the agenda, climbing the rankings serves as motivation for both teams to secure victory. McKendree sits fifth in the conference with 22 points, while Iowa State sits seventh with 16.
Both teams have room to develop their games to take conference leads, but an issue for both teams is penalty trouble. With a one-minute difference between the Bearcats and Cyclones, seeing who can profit from each other’s mistakes will play a crucial role.
McKendree has 299 compared to Iowa State’s 298. This trouble lands the respective teams in second and third place in terms of penalty minutes in the conference.
As both teams are familiar with the penalty kill, the performances during the disadvantage will play a deciding role in the offensive energy.
The Bearcats enter the series with a 75.3% shorthanded clearance rate. With a 64.9% penalty kill, the Cyclones trail in preventing power-play goals.
On the opposite end of the penalty kill comes the power play, and the teams’ success rankings switch. Iowa State leads with a 16.1% scoring rate compared to McKendree’s 12.2%.
As the offensive drive of this series looks to display an important role on the shorthanded and man-advantage dynamic, another energy source enters: revenge.
Last season, the Bearcats and Cyclones split the first series, while the second one resulted in McKendree sweeping Iowa State.
With a bitter perspective on the mind, the Cyclones look to return to their style of play in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, as they went 3-0 in matchups against the Bearcats. The style of play from these seasons can reestablish the legacy of hockey at Iowa State.
One final offensive driver is the points leaders, who become pesky threats to the defenders.
A standout star for the Cyclones during their second series against Central Oklahoma was senior forward Sam Eaton. With 14 points split evenly between goals and assists, Eaton leads all of Iowa State’s forwards.
With three goals in the series prior to this match, forward Jacob Begich leads all Bearcat forwards with 16 points, consisting of 14 goals and two assists.
On the defensive end, a pair of defensive Ben’s look to lead their respective teams.
Junior defenseman Ben Pfannenstein leads all Cyclones’ defensemen with nine points, consisting of two goals and seven assists.
The other, Ben Anderson, leads McKendree’s defensemen with seven points, all of which are assists. Anderson is also on a three-game assist streak.
As the final line of defense awaits discussion, the performance of these two in the crease will secure the fate of the series.
With a 913 save percentage, the Bearcats’ goalie, Mason Haselhorst, appears in Ames looking to press the Cyclones’ offense, as Haselhorst’s goals allowed average is three.
178 feet away sits senior goalie William Pinney, who enters the series with a .895 save percentage with an average of four goals allowed.
An intense final home series of the semester is on the agenda ahead of a holiday break the chance to connect with Iowa State arises. Following Friday’s game is a post-game skate where fans can skate and meet Cyclone players.
As the Bearcats head to Ames, the expectation of Iowa State is to compete in front of a crowd full of energy. Both Friday and Saturday’s contests are set for 7:30 p.m. puck drops at Ames Ice Arena.
