After claiming the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) regular season title to close out the year with a 21-13-1 record, No. 5 Cyclone Hockey begins postseason play this weekend in Bensenville, Illinois.

Luckily for Iowa State, the team won’t have to play a game on Friday since it finished with the No. 1 seed by sweeping Ohio last weekend.

“It means the world, it doesn’t seem like that much just missing one game,” forward Trevor Sabo said. “We only have two games this weekend now. It takes a big toll, especially with a playoff game, so a little sense of relief there that we get the Friday off and the first seed.”

The Cyclones have the advantage with the extra day of rest and confidence stemming from their current four-game winning streak.

“The confidence is sky high right now, we had kind of an up-and-down middle season,” Sabo said. “But just coming to first place in the conference is really bringing guys together.”

Last season, the Cyclones couldn’t claim first place in the conference and had to play in the play-in game on Friday. Coach Jason Fairman is pleased with the team’s position and not having that burden.

“I’m glad we aren’t having to play in the play-in game,” Fairman said. “Playing these teams that are all familiar with each other and top teams in the nation, it’s going to be challenging but the good thing is that we don’t have to play in the play-in game on Friday.”

This weekend, it’ll be crucial for the Cyclones to be primed and polished in their systems.

Cyclone Hockey has also made it a focus to put forth the effort they did last weekend against the No. 2 team in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

“Heading into the weekend, we obviously want to continue to build on what we did last weekend with our work ethic,” goaltender Derek Moser said. “We worked really well last weekend and just got better throughout the weekend, so hopefully we pick up where we left off and keep going.”

Moser is speculated to play in net for Iowa State in the tournament.

Last weekend, Moser showcased an outstanding performance and was a big asset to the team’s success.

“It feels good, I’m thankful for it, but really the whole team played unreal [last] weekend,” Moser said. “We battled through some adversity, stuck to our systems, played with discipline and worked hard and that’s how we were successful.”

If Moser executes the same game he did last weekend, the Cyclones will have a huge defensive edge over the competition, despite having to play on the road.

“We’ve played Robert Morris a number of times against Robert Morris and for the National Tournament last year, so I think we are pretty accustomed to the atmosphere,” Moser. “It’s still an away game but I think we are very comfortable playing in that rink and that’s going to help us in the long run.”

The Cyclones are now chasing the second of three titles in their grasp this postseason.

“It’s a big high for us, but we want to stay up there,” Moser said. “We don’t want to get too high or too low and just continue on our path. Last weekend was great, it’s awesome, we haven’t done it in a long time, but this weekend is going to be our pursuit to a whole other goal.”