Slap shots. Wrist shots. Little chip shots. Even penalty shots.

Cyclone goaltender Peter Alexander saw them all and stopped them all.

Alexander saved 26 shots by Oklahoma as Iowa State aced its first real test of the season, blanking the Sooners 1-0 in Iowa State’s American Collegiate Hockey Association opener Friday night.

“I just went out there and played as hard as I could,” Alexander said. “That’s a good team in Oklahoma.”

Oklahoma came into the series ranked seventh in the preseason ACHA poll. The matchup was a far cry from the exhibition teams the Cyclones have faced the past two weeks.

However, Iowa State matched Oklahoma all game long. Each team had players hitting the ice hard.

“In the short length of our rivalry the past few years, there is no love lost between these two teams,” said coach Al Murdoch. “None whatsoever.”

Each team had multiple scoring chances. Oklahoma couldn’t convert on any of them, while the Cyclones converted once on a power-play goal from David Kurbatsky.

It was the goaltenders who stole the show. For how Alexander played, Sooner goalie Colin Fernandes, a fellow freshman, stood just as tall in net, saving his own share of 26 shots.

“He played a really good game,” Alexander said of Fernandes. “I felt like we could’ve had a lot more goals but couldn’t get them on net.”

As the game progressed, the fans started to appreciate more and more the saves Alexander was making. Alexander, however, was called on to make a very crucial save.

With about 23 seconds left in the game and the Sooners’ net empty, the Cyclones were penalized for covering up the puck inside the crease. The error gave Oklahoma a penalty shot and a chance to tie the game.

Oklahoma coach Peter Arvanitis called upon junior forward Chad Hudson for the shot. Hudson was the second leading scorer last year for the Sooners.

But even the Sooners’ best offensive player, Murdoch said, had no hope.

“I knew [Alexander] was going to stop him on that penalty shot,” Murdoch said. “I think an opposing team can be demoralized by outstanding goaltending. He had shut them out all night, so he was going to do it again.”

Watching with his teammates from the bench was sophomore forward Jon Feavel.

“I just saw poise from Pete. It’s a battle that he won,” Feavel said. “He played it like he was a couple years into it. That was a test for him and he passed it with flying colors.”

Alexander was in the net Saturday night as well when the Cyclones dropped a dramatic 3-2 overtime loss. Oklahoma scored with less than a minute to go in regulation to tie the game, then scored in overtime to steal a series split in Ames.

The freshman goaltender will not forget Friday’s victory, though. He saved the easy ones and the tough ones. Teammates like Feavel certainly appreciated his effort.

“That’s what our goalies can bring and that’s what Pete brought [Friday night],” Feavel said. “He did awesome. He did an amazing job. It’s definitely good to know that we can rely on that, especially in those big games.”