The UA club hockey team has had a disappointing start to the season and is now heading into a bout with ASU on Friday.

Arizona (3-8-1) has struggled to be consistent throughout the first half of the season, continuously making costly mistakes in the third period. In their last game, the Icecats were unable to get mentally prepared in a loss to Weber State, said Icecats head coach Leo Golembiewski. And with ASU coming to the Tucson Convention Center, the Icecats shouldn’t have any problem getting mentally prepared before the game.

“”We have to practice like were in (the) Stanley Cup,”” said senior captain Nick Boddy. “”We need to show our fans and ourselves that we can do something.””

Arizona won seven of the eight games played against ASU last year, but this year the Sun Devils (9-7) come to Tucson a much improved team from last season.

These games are crucial for the Icecats, considering that after this weekend the team will have three weeks off and won’t play again until they meet Saint Louis University on Jan. 9. The three-week break makes it important for the team to get some wins under their belt.

Golembiewski said these games before the break will be a barometer for what actions he will take in the second half of the season.

Despite the struggles this season, Golembiewski said he has seen improvement in freshmen Geordy Weed and Nick Bach as the season has progressed.

“”The team has made great progress and our defense has improved,”” Golembiewski said. “”The biggest problem that I will have with this team the rest of the season is the mental aspect of the game.””

The Icecats won’t have ice time until Jan. 4.

“”Most of the guys are going back home to spend time with their families,”” said forward Jordan Schupan. “”We’ll probably do some workouts on our own and some guys are actually taking winter classes.””

Golembiewski has 598 wins for his career as the Icecats’ coach and could reach the 600-win mark this weekend with a sweep.

“”These are the ones we look forward to the most,”” Schupan said of the thrill of playing against ASU. “”We’re playing ASU, our biggest rivalry, and we want to win these games more than anything.”” Schupan said.