No. 10 Cyclone Hockey will hit the road for yet another pair of Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) games this weekend, facing No. 3 Ohio.

But it won’t be like any regular CSCHL game the team has played this season.

“[Playing for a regular season title] is great,” captain Chase Rey said. “Since I’ve been here, we haven’t been able to accomplish that.”

The Cyclones are playing for their first CSCHL Championship since 2002.

In order to win the conference, Cyclone Hockey will have to earn two wins against the Bobcats, with at least one being in regulation.

Beating the third-ranked team in the nation is already a tough task. What makes it tougher is the Bobcats have simply had the Cyclones’ number in recent years.

Since 2007, Cyclone Hockey only has one road win against Ohio — in 2014.

“They usually have a packed crowd at the Bird Arena,” Rey said. “It’s always a lot of fun playing there and the fans are pretty energetic. It’s exciting.”

Last season Ohio beat Cyclone Hockey twice at home, twice on the road and once on a neutral rink.

“Of course, we think about [last year],” sophomore Aaron Azevedo said. “We want some revenge [and] to go in there and pull out a win would be huge.”

A week ago, Azevedo referenced the three goals the team had set for themselves this season: A CSCHL regular season title, CSCHL playoff title and an American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National title.

“If we sweep them we’re going to pull out the regular season title,” Azevedo said. “That’s obviously our first check mark for the three that we have this year.”

The biggest thing the team has been searching for recently has been energy,” Azevedo said. “The past couple weeks [were] kind of a progression system for us right now. We’re just trying to get better and better every day we’re here.”

Azevedo also referenced that the team is completely healthy at this time, so the energy in practice has risen competing for playing time.

“The intensity on the ice [recently has been] great,” Azevedo said. “Everyone is going hard all the time. There are no days off.”

Cyclone Hockey coach Jason Fairman said the team should be motivated to win a championship, but practices leading up to the weekend have been business as usual.

“It’s an exciting type of year when you start playing for banners,” Fairman said. “You hope guys get up for that and they should enjoy the competition.”

One of Fairman’s biggest strategies has been gaining momentum ramping up to postseason play like the team did so well last season.

The team got hot at the right time as they streaked their way to the ACHA National Championship game.

“Occasionally, I reference it to remind guys of what we did last year to get where we were at the end of the year,” Fairman said. “We’re not living in the past, but sometimes it’s good to remind a team of things they’ve done in the past that [were] successful.”

The run to the national championship got started last season as the Cyclones earned a sweep against No. 24 Utah, but now it’s all about if the team can keep the run going.

“We look good. I think we’re ready,” Fairman said.