NIU’s club hockey team will play its first game in three weeks this weekend, all the while one point is being pounded into the player’s heads.

“We need to play for 60 minutes.”

Those were the words of Coach Bill Thorn, following the Huskies (0-1-1) first two games. Since then, that idea has been welded in the brains of Huskie players.

The Huskies will take that thought into two games this weekend, beginning conference play in the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association on Friday against the University of Iowa, at the Carlson Arena in Rockford. The following night, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will travel to Rockford to take on the Huskies in a non-conference game.

This is the first year Iowa has fielded a team, and it’s the first time the Huskies have played UW-Milwaukee, said Thorn.

“We don’t know too much about either team, they don’t know much about us … we’re both going in blind,” Thorn said.

The Huskies have improved since last taking the ice on Sept. 29, said defenseman Mike Smigiel.

“We’ve had three weeks to practice, so we’re ready,” Smigiel said. He added that all the freshmen have gotten time to learn each other’s styles, and should be less nervous than they were in their first college games.

The Huskies also have elected players into leadership positions since their last game. This year’s captain is forward Eric Dicarlo, and alternates will be Smigiel and Bill Thorn.

“These guys were chosen by their peers,” Coach Thorn said. “I accept them to be leaders on and off the ice and pull the team together.”

Besides playing together, avoiding mental mistakes will be crucial, Thorn said.

“If they play hockey the way I know they can play, we will be successful this weekend,” Thorn said. If goalie J.P. Michaels continues to play the way he did last season, the team should be OK, he added.

It’s time the team gets all aspects of its game together, both Smigiel and Thorn mentioned.

“It’s important we get a win this weekend, if not we will start 0-3-1, and that would put a damper on our entire season,” Smigiel said. “We need to get a win and get confidence.”

When asked what mistake the Huskies need to avoid in order to be successful this weekend, Smigiel responded, “We can’t just go out and play hard for two periods or 40 minutes … We need to play the whole game.”