Unfortunately for Iowa State, college hockey is 60 minutes.

Coach Al Murdoch said he believes the club plays well for most of the game but has mental lapses at inopportune times.

“For 57 minutes, we’re pretty darn good,” Murdoch said of the club’s play. “College hockey is 60 minutes.”

No. 12 Iowa State Cyclone Hockey (9-8-1) came into the weekend series against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (9-3-1) hoping to take a step in the right direction. Oklahoma had other plans for the series.

Oklahoma took a 2-0 lead in the first game of the series the night of Friday, Nov. 9, but the Cyclones didn’t lie down for the Sooners and came firing back to tie the game at 2-2 going into the third period.

After the Cyclones took the early lead in the third period, the Sooners responded swiftly with two goals of their own to take the lead.

“It was a physical game for both teams,” Murdoch said of the first game of the weekend series. “I think their team is more beat up than ours physically.”

Along with noting how physical the game was, Murdoch said the club shot itself in the foot in that first game, which was a 4-3 loss.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say Oklahoma won that game,” Murdoch said. “We lost that game; we gave it to them.”

In Saturday’s game, Oklahoma wasted no time scoring its first goal of the game, taking the lead 38 seconds into the first period.

Murdoch credited the early goal to a mental lapse on the Cyclones’ part. Junior goalie Scott Ismond siad he would have definitely liked to have had the first goal back.

Oklahoma added another goal in the second period, widening its lead to 2-0. The Cyclones managed to produce one goal in the third period, but they lost the second game of the series 3-1, allowing the Sooners to complete the series sweep.

“We weren’t consistent,” said senior forward David Kurbatsky. “We kind of let off the steam there.”

Although Iowa State lost both games to Oklahoma, Murdoch said he still believes the hockey club is of top-five caliber. Ismond was quick to note the club has bigger goals than good individual games.

“A good game can be a good game, but it doesn’t mean anything unless you get that win,” Ismond said.