It’s no secret what the talk around the Cyclone men’s hockey team was coming into the season.

The top-four goal scorers from an American Collegiate Hockey Association runner-up squad all graduated. Amongst the returners, the most goals coming back is eight.

Through one game, it’s the new kids on the block that made their mark.

Matty Moran, Payton McSharry and Ray Zimmerman ignited the Cyclones Friday night in their 6-0 season-opening victory over Waldorf with three first-period goals inside the ISU/Ames Ice Arena.

“It’s huge, it’s incredibly important,” Moran said. “You get your feet wet, get the nerves off your chest. You’re kind of in mid-season form after that.”

What head coach Jason Fairman witnessed through the first 20 minutes of his offense testing Warriors goalie Jason Veitch with 13 shots was pleasing.

“I was most pleased with the energy,” he said. “It’s great to have new guys score and see them in game situations, so I was very pleased.”

Before the dust settled from the introductions, the Cyclones (1-0) found the back of the net in the first 13 seconds.

McSharry went behind his back to find Moran wide open at the side of the net for a fast 1-0 lead.

Moran, a 21-year old freshman, returned the favor at the 4:37 mark, assisting McSharry on his fellow freshman’s five-hole goal to double the Cyclones’ advantage.

“From the first couple captains practices, we just started finding each other,” Moran said. “As a unit, (Dylan) Goggin found us, started to get that chemistry going.”

Forty-one seconds later, Zimmerman registered his first goal of the campaign. Moran and McSharry each notched two points in the first period.

Stuart Pearson increased the ISU cushion to 4-0 with a goal at the 3:26 mark of the second period.

Despite the lone goal, Iowa State registered over 15 shots in the period. It ended the game with 57 shots, reaching double figures in all three periods.

“We definitely can’t let off the gas,” Moran said. “Come even harder than what we did today.”

It took until the third period that a returner got on the scoreboard.

C.J. Banser went upper-left glove side to score his first goal of the season and make it 5-0 Cyclones. First-year captain Goggin tallied the sixth goal of the night for the Cyclones.

The Cyclones went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, but 0-for-3 on the power play — two areas that Fairman isn’t getting too excited or too nervous about.

“We haven’t even practiced power play yet,” Fairman said. “Special teams is about 25 percent of the game, so we hadn’t even worked on special teams. I wasn’t expecting much from that area, but they moved the puck around. 

“Just a matter of guys filling in positions.”

Senior goalie Nikita Kosak notched over 21 saves in his first clean sheet of the season. Even with 21 shots, Waldorf (0-1) generated little offensive pressure.

“He’s going to be our guy, so it was a good start for him,” Fairman said. “It’s part of the process to build up to the bigger tests.”

Cyclone Hockey will travel to Albert Lea and wrap up the weekend series against the Warriors on the road.