BLOG: Little Cyclones Hockey Wraps up First Third of Season with I-35 Cup Game on Wednesday

As Thanksgiving and the holidays quickly approaches the Ames Little Cyclones hockey team has been busy, as they have played a third of their 28 game regular season, and prepare to host an I-35 rival in the Mason City Mohawks Wednesday night at Ames ISU ice arena.

The game is the annual I-35 Cup trophy game that traditionally takes place the night before Thanksgiving.

Through four weeks of play the Little Cyclones stand at 3-4-2 in Midwest High School Hockey league play after finishing this past weekend at home 1-1-1.

On Friday night Ames hosted defending Regular Season and State Champion Waterloo in a back and forth affair that ended in a Little Cyclones 5-4 victory. Senior Co-Captain Spencer Oh recorded a hattrick including the game winning goal with just more than a minute to play. Orion Boylston stopped 35 of 39 Waterloo shots. The win over Waterloo was the Little Cyclones first since the 2008-2009 season.

On Saturday night Ames hosted the Omaha Junior Lancers, and fell 5-2. After being down 3-0 Ames rallied to pull within one goal at 3-2 with third period goals from senior assistant captain Paul Fritzell and sophomore Defensemen Forrest Oh. The rally was stalled however when Omaha scored a short handed goal to go on top 4-2 and then added an empty net goal for the 5-2 final.

On Sunday the Little Cyclones tied Omaha 2-2 and then fell in a shootout 1-0 giving Omaha the full 2 points in the standings while Ames had to settle with one. Forrest Oh and Mark Wishman tallied the Ames goals, while Jake Thoren, Ian Kolb and Spencer Oh added assists.

The Little Cyclones split a weekend series in Sioux City on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 and fell to the Des Moines Capitals in their home opener back on Nov. 2.

The home opener was a special night despite the 3-0 loss. It marked the second annual Quinn's Quest Cancer Benefit game played in memory of Quinn Boylston (the 7 year old brother of current Little Cyclones Orion and Payton Boylston) and in honor of current Little Cyclone Freshmen Andrew Smith who is a 7 year cancer survivor. The game raised $2,000 dollars which will be distributed to causes of the Smith and Boylston's family's choice.

The Ames Little Cyclone's and all of Ames Minor hockey want to thank all of those who came out to support the cause to help fight childhood cancer and disease.

The Varsity puck drop on Wednesday for the I-35 Cup vs Mason City is at 6 p.m. at the Ames/ISU ice arena.