The Cyclone Hockey team has put itself in a tough spot. After losing its last five American College Hockey Association games, the team now has to find something to turn this season around.

As the No. 12 ranked Cyclones approach the halfway point in the season with a record of 10-8-3, they now face a formidable ACHA opponent in the Colorado State Rams. The Rams are coming off of a series split against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, the Central Oklahoma Broncos, and blemished the No. 1 team’s previous unbeaten record.

“They will be fired up, they should have a lot of confidence,” said Cyclone Hockey coach Jason Fairman. “If we are taking them lightly, we are going to be in for a rude awakening. If we don’t win this weekend, it will really hurt us in the rankings.”

Looking back on past Cyclone Hockey seasons, there are some eerie comparisons to be drawn.

At this point in the year, the 2012 Cyclones were 9-10-1 and were held to higher expectations. They also entered their next matchup having lost five-straight ACHA games, the same as the current Cyclone Hockey team.

Coming off two road losses, the 2012 Cyclones came home knowing that something needed to change in order to avoid missing out on the ACHA National Tournament in March. The team went into its next matchup and did just that, earning a sweep over the West Virginia Mountaineers by a goal differential of six.

Following the home sweep, the 2012 team went on a run, winning ten of its last 14 games, and eventually gained entrance into the end-of-the-season tournament.

For some current Cyclone Hockey players, that year is still fresh in their minds.

“The older guys who were there all remember that season, including me,” said senior defenseman Antti Helanto. “It was very similar to now. We had a lot of guys who were not very happy early on. We got a few wins and we knew we had the potential, but we needed those wins to get our confidence and finish strong.”

Goalie Scott Ismond, who has played on the team for five seasons, believes that this weekend could provide the same spark that the West Virginia series provided two seasons ago.

“We need to find that spark like we did two years ago,” Ismond said. “I think that this weekend provides a great opportunity against a team that just beat the No. 1 team in the nation. There is no time for waiting in this organization, the time is now. That’s the mentality now. It’s a new start for us.”

I feel sorry for Colorado State to have to come through us when we are feeling this way.”

The wins won’t be easy, however, as the Cyclones will be without captain Mike Dopko for at least the weekend series due to an upper body injury, while the Rams are coming off one its biggest wins in its second year in ACHA Division I.

Despite the opposition and the key injury, the Cyclone Hockey team is fully confident in its ability to still turn this season around against Colorado State.

“We want to turn this slow start around, and the sooner the better. Why not this weekend?” Helanto said. “If we can do little things better, we will win. If we keep giving our best, we will get the result eventually.”

The Cyclone Hockey team will test that confidence when it takes on Colorado State at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 and 22 at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.