University of Central Oklahoma athletics has built a history of winning behind the Broncho logo.

Football, soccer, baseball, softball and basketball have all had their winning ways.

It is now the club sports that are rising to those expectations that come with wearing the UCO bronze and blue. Hockey in particular has risen to the occasion.

The Bronchos are ranked 13th in the nation, and yet they are fighting for their season as we head into the final stretch. These next two weeks have big playoff implications.

"The next two weeks are huge for us," UCO freshman defenseman Tony Bruno said. "They will decide whether or not we go to nationals, which will make or break our season."

The Bronchos face two top-10 teams over the next two weeks, before the final rankings, which determine the playoff brackets. If UCO does not move up two spots, they will fail to make the tournament.

UCO plays the No. 8 Arizona State Sun Devils in Arizona this weekend. They then travel to Illinois to play the No. 4 fighting Illini in a matchup that has become somewhat of a rivalry over the years.

"We need to sweep Arizona State," team captain AJ Alfrey said. "I'd also say we have to sweep Illinois too."

That sentiment is shared throughout the locker room as the Bronchos are facing an uphill battle.

"If nationals were today, we would already be out," UCO senior captain Brian Thompson said. "We need both at Arizona State and then one, maybe two against Illinois. We have no room for error. It's on us to win out."

UCO is not getting any help from anybody in their pursuit of the playoffs.

Kent State, ranked two slots below the Bronchos, and competing for a spot, just beat the No. 1 team in the nation. So the heat is on for Central Oklahoma who had two games canceled this past weekend due to weather.

Although UCO couldn’t get two wins against Colorado State on their resume to help keep them in the hunt, Brian Thompson doesn’t think the canceled games matter.

"I don’t think they really do," Thompson said. "If we had won or lost, I really think we would have stayed put. So there wasn’t a benefit to those games."

However, there is a huge benefit to wins they get this weekend and next.

Both teams are ranked higher than UCO, and both games are on the road. That is a tough task, but don’t expect to see any down faces on the UCO bench.

"I am fully confident we can do it," Alfrey said. "We need to focus on it one day at a time, and one game at a time."

"It’s all on us. We aren’t getting help from any other teams. We never have, but I am still confident we can make nationals."

Smart money is on the Bronchos having to win the next four games to get into the playoffs.

Three out of four may get them in. However, if they lose two of the next four, their outlook becomes bleak. Can UCO do it?

They beat the No. 1 team in the nation last year. They beat the No. 3 team in the nation on the road this season.

They came up with a clutch victory against Iowa State on the road last year when they were fighting for a spot much like this season.

There is little doubt that UCO can win big games, but the margin for error over the next two weekends is so small that it puts a lot of pressure on this squad. Speaking to some of the fans and coaching staff, it is said that when this Bronchos team is “on their game,” no one can skate with them. Well, they will have to be “on their game” from here on out.

They head to Arizona to face the ASU Sun Devils who are an outstanding 21-6 on the year with three overtime losses.

Joe Schweiger leads ASU in points with 61. He also leads the team in goals scored with 27. Patrick Lind and Tim Hurst both have 20 goals on the year. Jarett Costello may not be a scoring threat with just three goals, but he has a team-high 29 assists.

Marc Schacker has played 1,727.72 minutes in net this season. Schacker has a 3.02 goals-against average and a 93 percent save rate.

Jonathan Cannizzo, through 31 games, leads the Bronchos in scoring with 19 goals and 35 points.

Matt Cohn has scored 11 goals on the year but has 23 assists on his stat sheet. Shawn Steggles is second on the team in goals scored with 14. Steggles also has 9 assists. Patrick Higgins leads the team in assists with 24.

Senior goaltender Justin Sgro is 13-5-1 as a starter and has played 1,469.6 minutes. Sgro has a 3.06 goals-against average and a 90 percent save rate. He has a grand total of 679 saves this year. He has faced 754 shots.

UCO's next home game is Feb. 19, against big-time rival No. 7 Oklahoma.

By that time, the final rankings will have been released and the Bronchos will find out if they have made their second postseason appearance in as many years.