Cyclone Hockey’s home-and-home series with Midland University this weekend won’t count in the standings or polls, but that doesn’t mean it’s not meaningful.

This Saturday night, seniors Kody Reuter, Derek Moser and Matt Goedeke will take the ice at Ames/ISU Ice Arena for the final time as Iowa State players.

Integral parts of the Cyclones’ success in recent years, the three are closing in on the final chapter of their decorated careers, a reality that’s only just started to sink in.

“It kind of hit me a little bit this past weekend,” Reuter said. “After the (Division II) guys came back from their weekend with some of my good senior buddies, I came to that realization that they’re done so it kind of hit me a little bit when I talked to them.”

Reuter came into the program in 2014 along with Moser. Reuter made an instant impact, playing 41 games as a freshman, while Moser had to wait an extra year to really contribute.

In their sophomore seasons, both became key cogs for a Cyclone team that made it all the way to the American Collegiate Hockey Association finals.

While they didn’t make the finals last season, the two nonetheless continued to experience success in their junior seasons.

Reuter was team MVP in a season where Iowa State achieved a No. 1 ranking during the season, as well its first Central States Collegiate Hockey League tournament title 2002. Moser, meanwhile, started 28 games and won the team’s James J. Russo Academic Award.

Speaking of which, as much as the two accomplished on the ice, Moser and Reuter are more proud of what they accomplished off of it.

In their four years at Iowa State, the two gradually developed into trusted leaders and teammates (Reuter was even named captain for his senior season), and both beamed with pride knowing that, thanks to help from the coaching staff, they became better people during their time with the program.

“They really keep you in line and push you to be a good human and be responsible for yourself,” Moser said. “It’s definitely a lot more disciplined here and it sets us up to stay disciplined throughout our life.”

While Reuter and Moser were exposed to this way of life for a full four years, Goedeke’s entrance in the fray came in a more untraditional matter. Now in his third year with the program, Goedeke will be finishing the regular-season portion of his career against the team he started it with.

A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Goedeke played a full year for the Midland Warriors during their inaugural season in 2014-15. Back then, the Warriors roster comprised of mostly freshmen, and it showed with their 10-29 finish to the season that included a sweep at the hands of Iowa State.

Coincidentally enough, Goedeke actually played one of those games against the Cyclones that year, stopping 60 of an astounding 65 shots by the Iowa State in a 5-1 Midland loss.

Following that game, which marked the completion of Midland’s first season at the ACHA Division I level, Goedeke decided that he wanted something more.

He wanted to play for a contender and be closer to home, so he packed his gear and transferred to Iowa State, where three years later he’ll hope finish his career by defeating his former team for the first time.

“Hopefully this time we can pull off a win, because that would be huge to beat my old team and end it on that note,” Goedeke said. “I never would have envisioned that when I played my first college game.”

Transferring to Iowa State was a bit of a gamble on Goedeke’s part. Moser had already been with the program for a year, and playing time wasn’t guaranteed.

This could’ve led to a fierce competition and contempt for one another. Instead, though, Goedeke and Moser became close friends and roommates.

The move also paid dividends on the ice as well, as Goedeke ended up playing a key role for the team throughout each of the past two seasons.

Even as he wraps up his career at Iowa State, Goedeke still splits time with Moser, as head coach and general manager’s Jason Fairman’s philosophy is to ride the hot hand.

He may have gotten more playing time elsewhere, but Goedeke says that he would make the decision to transfer again if he could, similarly citing his growth as a person as a major reason why.

“I’m glad that I’ve taken advantage of the opportunities I was given,” Goedeke said. “It was definitely worth it.”

Now, Goedeke, along with Moser and Reuter, will soon move into the next stage of their lives. They don’t know what their exact plans are following graduation, but Reuter says that he hopes to find a career that utilizes his supply chain management and marketing double major.

Moser and Goedeke, meanwhile, say that as roommates and position-mates, they’ll always remain close regardless of whether or not their paths split.

With so much time spent together and each senior having a large individual impact, the three say it’s hard to look back and pick just one favorite memory from their time with the team.

All say that they’ll cherish the time spent in the locker room with teammates and the milestones they achieved as a unit, but the lasting legacy that they ultimately want to leave is how they’ve impacted others on the team and in the community.

“I really enjoyed getting to work with the youth guys,” said Moser. “Just seeing the little kids and how they light up, and their pure enjoyment in what they’re trying to learn.”

With that being said, Reuter, Moser and Goedeke know that they’ll have the rest of their lives to look back on their accomplishments. For now, though, they say that there’s more work to be done.

If they have anything to say about it, they still have six more games to leave their most lasting legacy to date: a national championship.

“Us three have kind of gone through the ups and downs together as a group,” Reuter said. “It’s definitely going to be sad moving on from playing with them.

“But we’re focused on winning these games and then reflecting afterward.”