By Jared Bravard, @JaredBravard

The Division I Cyclones are set to play their first games of 2021. The team travels to Springfield, Missouri, for a series against the Missouri State Ice Bears (0-0) on Friday and Saturday.

The Cyclones (7-1) have not played a game since Oct. 31, a longer break than usual. Head Coach Jason Fairman is usually a bit nervous going into the second semester, and this season is no exception.

“It’s hard to know what to expect,” Fairman said. “[…] It can always be challenging the first weekend back of the semester.”

Assistant Captain Joey Marcuccilli is ready to be back on the ice.

 “I’m excited. We haven’t had any games for a while,” Marcuccilli said. “Everyone is nice and fresh coming back from break, so it’ll be a fun weekend.”

The Cyclones enter the series averaging 4.88 goals per game and 1.88 against. This series marks the first games of the season for the Ice Bears.

These two teams last met in September 2019 in Ames, Iowa, and settled for a split as Iowa State took a 3-2 win on night one and Missouri State won 2-0 the next night.

The top three point scorers for the Ice Bears return to the team this year. They are fifth-year senior Josh Bell (12-31-43), junior Hunter Cooley (17-13-30) and senior Alex Rubin (10-17-27).

This weekend will not be easy, according to Fairman. He said Missouri State is a tough place to play, but he expects two wins.

“It’s tough playing on the road, but regardless of where we’re playing, we always expect a sweep,” Fairman said. “We expect to win every game so that’s our goal.”

The puck will drop at 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday at the Jordan Valley Ice Park. There is a YouTube video broadcast and video feed available through WebSports Radio (link: websportsradio.com).  Friday’s game will be broadcast on Mediacom MC22.