The ISU hockey team played a pair of competitive games this weekend. The No. 8 Cyclones (11-1-1-1) salvaged a split with visiting No. 14 Illinois (6-4-1-0).

The Cyclones were defeated on Friday night 1-0, and on Saturday night it came down to a shootout, with Iowa State coming away with the 4-3 victory. It was in Saturday night’s game where sophomore Shawn Crawford scored the gamewinner as the Cyclones’ third shooter in the shootout.

Coach Al Murdoch was pleased with the way his team played through the weekend.

“The team played well, showed character, showed what we’re capable of,” Murdoch said. “I thought a better part of last night and first half of tonight’s game we were showing our youthfulness, but I refuse to accept that as a bailout.

“We’re not youthful, we’re a mature team. We can play with anyone in the country at any time.”

On Saturday night, the Cyclones gave up a goal only 1:16 into the first period and gave up another in the second period to fall into a two-goal deficit before freshman James Buttermore finally put the Cyclones on the board. Buttermore finished with two goals in that game.

In the shootout, Crawford went in as the Cyclones’ final shooter after all the shooters before him had been denied and put the puck over the shoulder of Illinois goaltender Nick Clarke to secure the victory for the Cyclones.

“It’s a privilege to go out there and even better to score as the last shooter,” Crawford said. “Last night was a little rough, it seemed that we were gripping the sticks a little too hard, and tonight we definitely picked up our game.”

Murdoch said that Crawford is a goal scorer and if there’s an opportunity he’s going to put him out there.

ISU goaltender Paul Karus, who stopped 30 out of 33 shots and all three Illini shooters in the shootout, said that Crawford scoring goals the way he did is a normal thing.

“I’ll tell you what, he scores on me like that all the time,” Karus said jokingly. “I’m not surprised. He’s got a heck of a shot, and he’s a good player.”

The Cyclones will hit the road for the first time this season and take on the No. 4 Arizona State Sun Devils.