From Iowa State Daily
By Aleigha Bailey
Both of the Iowa State Hockey Clubs look to begin their season with their first at-home victories on Friday night at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.
The women’s team starts the night at 5:30 p.m., and the men’s team follows with a puck drop at 8:30 p.m.
The women’s team will face off against Iowa for the second game of the series, with puck drop at 4:15 p.m Saturday. To follow that, the men’s team faces the Jimmies again with puck drop at 8:30 p.m.
Women’s
The Women’s club team at Iowa State is set to play in its home opener against its in-state rival, Iowa, as a part of the Cy-Hawk Series. This game is sure to be electric, given the rivalry.
The Cyclones are ready to defend home ice after a high-scoring, two-game sweep last weekend against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Iowa State came off of two shutout games, 15-0 and 17-0, last weekend.
Some players to watch out for are forward Grace Berg and defenseman Tessa Strand. Berg, the captain for the Cyclones, led the team in points with 24 in 18 games last season.
On defense, Strand was the points leader for defense with nine points in 17 games. Last weekend, she was named Player of the Game.
Men’s
Following the women’s game Friday night, the Men’s Hockey Club is also defending home ice in their home opener against their ACHA rivals, the University of Jamestown Jimmies.
After a strong season last year, as Iowa State remained in the top 25 rankings for 21 weeks, they are sure to produce a successful season.
Currently, the Cyclones are 0-2-0 and are in pursuit of their first win of the season with this fiery matchup.
So far this season for the Cyclones, forward Sam Eaton leads the way in goals scored with three. Forward John Kovarik leads the way in assists with three on the season, and defenseman Gabe Myers has one goal for the season.
In the net for Iowa State, William Pinney leads with 62 saves so far, and Harrison Moen follows with a stellar save percentage of 0.930, along with 27 saves. Moen is also currently ranked sixth in the MCH division.
(Originally published at https://iowastatedaily.com/299667/sports/club-hockey-preview-tension-builds-as-both-iowa-state-teams-defend-home-ice-against-rivals-this-weekend/)