CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore Mickey Meehan and the Icecats return to action after the new year with a set of home games against Saint Louis on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 and Northlands College the following weekend.

The seemingly inconsistent Arizona Icecats, while at times dominating opponents with ease, including a six-game win streak that saw the team outscore its foes by the outlandish total of 56-11 overall, have been forced to face something that the team and its fans aren't used to experiencing öö losses.

After an impressive 7-3 win over Arizona State Friday night, UA was tripped up the following evening, in a 6-5 shootout to the same ASU squad at the Tucson Convention Center. After trailing 6-3 midway through the third period, the Icecats tallied two score late in the game and continually threatened to notch the tying goal in the waning minutes, before being outlasted by the visiting Sun Devils.

With the loss, the team's record dropped to 9-4 overall through the midpoint of the season, the same number of losses registered through the entire previous campaign. With 14 games to play, the Icecats are in danger of pushing loss totals not seen for years, as the team has lost more than five games only twice over the last eight seasons.

Despite defeats at the hands of Weber State, top-ranked Penn State, No. 4 Delaware and No. 18 ASU, the team's strong schedule and impressive offensive output have kept the Icecats steady at No. 6 in the ACHA Division 1 national rankings.

"I'm pretty happy with the semester," head coach Leo Golebiewski said. "Our winning tradition speaks for itself."

The Icecats continue along their 12-game, two-month homestand during the winter recess with two games each against No. 11 Saint Louis and the squad from Northlands College.

Saint Louis (9-8) comes to town on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 to play two of its four scheduled matches with UA, with the Billikens hosting the Icecats for two games at the end of January. Northlands, an NCAA Division III team, visits Tucson for a two-game set on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11.

Senior captain Dave Loftus noted that despite a relatively quiet winter break, the team will be ready when SLU comes to town.

"We've got a few more practices before they arrive to put it together," Loftus said. "These are going to be our two biggest games of the season."

Near the midpoint of the team's 27-game regular season, some fresh faces sit near the top of the Icecat scoring charts, with 10 players totaling double figures in points through the first half.

Freshman phenom Cole Dunlop, who leads the team with 11 goals through 13 games, while adding eight assists, has been a force in the middle for the Icecats of late, after being kept off the score sheet until the fourth game of the season.

Freshman defenseman Mike Pelletier has also found his way into the box score often, totaling nine goals and 22 points as the team's top-scoring blueliner. Pelletier has been a quick study for the Icecats, learning on the fly by playing along senior defenseman and captain Bill Pardue for most of the season. Pardue has managed 13 points of his own while showing Pelletier the ropes.

Prior to Saturday's game against ASU, Dunlop was moved to the Icecats' top line alongside senior Matt Naylor and sophomore Shaun Brooks, in place of junior Andrew Fredricks. Before the switch, the trio of Naylor, Brooks, and Fredricks had been the team's most punishing group, averaging over two goals and nearly five points per game collectively. Naylor leads the team in total scoring with 27 points, including nine goals.

Loftus and sophomores Mickey Meehan and Don Holtz are each averaging more than a point per game each, while freshman Tim Wochok has 10 points while playing in just 11 games of his own.