DeKalb | After last weekend’s sweep of the University of Missouri, the Div. II hockey team will look to continue its fast start to the season against the Robert Morris University Maroon team.

Head coach Chuck Rinaldo believes NIU will be in for a tough test against the undefeated Eagles (2-0).

“The Maroon team has some pretty talented players that have hopes they can move up to the [Robert Morris] Gold team,” Rinaldo said. “They always play with an edge.”

A big key for the Huskies to be successful this weekend is their defense.

“We need to execute our systems defensively. Defensive discipline is a big deal,” Rinaldo said. “We can’t be giving up a bunch of goals to a team like them.”

Another aspect of the game that will be key this weekend is consistency. This is something the team has been working on all season.

“We took a couple periods off against Mizzou,” Rinaldo said. “Against a team like Robert Morris if you do not come out ready to play in any period they are going to make you pay.”

The Div. III team will look for its first win of the season against the Robert Morris University White team (1-1).

The Huskies (0-4) will play at home for the first time this season.

“It will be nice and helpful not having to travel. It is nice to be at home where you spend all your time,” said head coach John Lyne. “It is nice to be home in our own locker room, especially for some of the new guys. It’s the first time they will play in front of their families.”

NIU has played strong competition this season and it will be no different this weekend.

“Robert Morris White is going to be a very good team from what I am hearing,” Lyne said. “It is definitely still going to be a challenge even though we are at home. They are going to have a lot of veteran guys and they definitely will not make it easy.”

Team captain JC Weems is ready to move on from last weekend. Having played the Eagles in the past, he knows what to expect heading into this weekend.

“They are a chippy team. They are going to try and get in your head,” Weems said. “We just have to make sure we don’t retaliate back to that. We really just need to play hockey and do the little things right.”