The Arizona Icecats have been on quite the tear lately, winning three straight games after a 2-8 start to the season. But despite the winning streak, the team is still dissatisfied with its mediocre record (5-8) and hungry for victory.

The Icecats will have their chance to satisfy that appetite this Friday and Saturday when they host Weber State (7-7) at the Tucson Convention Center.

“”We’ve got to build off of the momentum that we’ve started,”” said sophomore forward Blake Richards. “”We’ve only had one sweep on the season, so you can’t just settle with what you have, you’ve got to build on it and keep going.””

Head coach Leo Golembiewski believes that the key to continuing the streak is to remain determined for all 60 minutes of the game.

“”These kids have to play a shift at a time,”” Golembiewski said. “”Shifts become periods, periods become games. We’ve got to stay determined.””

The Icecats certainly have been playing determined hockey as of late, grinding out three consecutive wins — two of which they captured by a one-goal margin. They have proven that they have what it takes to win games that don’t exactly go their way, a trait of almost all successful sports teams.

The Icecats need to make sure they carry that determination over to this weekend’s games against Weber State.

With ASU on deck next weekend, it is imperative that the Icecats take care of business with Weber State and don’t start thinking about the Sun Devils before the final buzzer sounds on Saturday.

“”As much as ASU is one of our tickets to a successful season, with them being ranked so high, we have to focus on Weber and more specifically Friday night,”” said graduate assistant Nick Boddy. “”When you dig yourself a hole like we have, you have to take it one game at a time, one period at a time.””

While the two-game home series against Arizona State is huge for the Icecats, they need to stay focused on Weber State and continue their quest for .500 into next weekend. Looking past Weber State is simply not an option.

“”At 5 and 8, we’re not in the position to look past a ping pong ball,”” Golembiewski said. “”So we figure Weber State has to be a stepping stone to ASU, as ASU has to be a stepping stone to the rest of the season.””