After losing three straight games for the first time in head coach Jason Fairman’s time leading the team, Cyclone Hockey will take on an unfamiliar foe in the Indiana Tech Warriors.

Indiana Tech is new to the American Collegiate Hockey Association this season, but Fairman isn’t as worried about the other team as he is about turning his team’s good performances into wins.

“I’m not worried about them, I’m worried about us,” Fariman said. “I believe that we won six of the nine periods we played over the weekend. It’s business as usual I guess, we just have to stay the course.”

The No. 5 ranked Cyclones (5-3-1, 1-3-1 ACHA) take on the weak defense of the Warriors (1-5 ACHA) who have allowed 42 goals in six games. Coming off a 1-0 shut out loss at Central Oklahoma, the Cyclones will have to get their offense on track if they want to end the losing streak.

The key will be to take advantage of scoring opportunities, which has been a theme in the season so far.

“The problem is that it’s going to come down to being able to score,” Fairman said. “We looked through the film as a team, and you really can’t have any better opportunities than we had to score. If we don’t convert against Indiana Tech, then we will lose to Indiana Tech.”

Indiana Tech is coming off its first win of the season, a 6-4 victory against Oakland University. Although the Warriors allow a lot of goals, they also know how to score. They average just over three goals a game, but have failed to earn victories because of poor defense.

The Cyclones are coming off three one-goal loses, one of them in a shootout, so coming back and getting a victory is a top priority. They will look to turn the tables in their favor in the upcoming matchup.

“We definitely played great games, we just didn’t get the results we wanted,” said senior forward J.P. Kascsak. “It’s a little frustrating especially when you know that you are giving 100 percent, it’s not like you aren’t working hard.”

One key performer for Indiana Tech has been freshman forward Cameron Dimmitt. He leads the team in goals and assists with five and four, respectively. Shutting him down as well as the rest of the Warriors’ offense will be key for the Cyclones to bring in a victory on Oct. 10.

“We have to keep doing what we have been doing,” said captain Mike Dopko. “We need to keep the shots to the outside and play the body. If the defense and goalies keep doing what they have been doing, we should play fine.”

Fairman is confident in his team’s play, but has worries that it will overlook the matchup.

“My biggest fear is that guys are getting sidetracked with midterms and being tired from the road trip,” Fairman said. “They got all kinds of excuses. Hopefully, they won’t take this opponent lightly because of all the distractions they have.”

Cyclone Hockey will take on the Indiana Tech Warriors at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.