From Iowa State Daily
By Aleigha Bailey
AMES — Iowa State’s Division I men’s hockey club is ready to kick the regular season into full gear after sweeping the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks in a preseason matchup.
The Cyclones will host the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos at 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
This is not a new opponent to the Cyclones for head coach Jonas Hostovecky. The Bronchos squad is one that Hostovecky both played for and coached prior to arriving at Iowa State.
Despite the familiarity of this matchup, Hostovecky has a clear goal when taking on his former squad.
“I wanted these guys to get a D-I game in before conference play,” Hostovecky said. “ It worked out good.”
Last time out, the Bronchos took the series via a sweep last season. With a series under their belt, the Cyclones look to rebound from last season’s defeat.
This time around, the rookies’ earlier return to the rink and desire to exceed expectations look to guide the Cyclones in the season-opening tilt.
Last season, Central Oklahoma had the better showing by going 14-15-1 with 40 points in the UCO Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL).
The Bronchos’ sole conference-leading stat was penalty minutes, with 659 last season.
Leading the Central Oklahoma squad last year was forward Cullen Hogan, who had 29 points in 30 games, good for 13th in the WCHL.
As for the Bronchos’ defensemen, Mitchell Wilson led the team with 18 points in 30 games, 12th place among defensemen in the WCHL.
Iowa State, on the other hand, has seen a shift early on this season that was not quite established last season. The 2025-26 season saw the Cyclones go 10-18-1 with 29 points in the Midwest College Hockey (MCH) conference.
Returning points leaders are forward Dylan Hender and defenseman Ben Pfannenstein. Hender had 20 points in 21 games while Pfannenstein had 17 in 30 games.
In the preseason series, Iowa State’s rookies made their debuts and seven of them found their names on the stat sheet.
“All these freshmen, these new kids, they came here to play hockey,” Hostovecky said. “I think that’s eye-opening for some of them.”
Of the seven rookies, two, Reece Hubmer and Charlie Marchand, notched three goals apiece, which has quickly boosted the team’s morale and drive for the season.
The rookies were not the sole playmakers as the preseason series saw forward Ethan Pagel log three assists and Harrison Ranger score his first goal of the season.
“[It’s a] great team,” Easton Sankey said. “Everyone here works hard, so it just seemed like the best option for me all around”
With a full season ahead, Iowa State looks to restore its former dynasty and return to the playoffs. Behind that goal is 32 games full of uncertainty, and the Cyclones will use this refresh to their advantage.
“I always enjoyed talking to Jonas, and I like what he’s trying to do here,” Hubmer said. “What he’s got going for this program is going to be good for all of us.”
(Originally published at https://iowastatedaily.com/343321/sports/hockey-returns-to-ames-as-cyclones-host-bronchos/)
