The Cyclone hockey team took to the road for the first time this season, arriving Friday in Champaign, Ill., to take on the Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois.

After a loss Friday, the Cyclones came out strong and defeated the Illini on Saturday. Playing on an old speed-skating rink converted to a hockey surface, the ice is larger than the Ames/ISU Ice Arena sheet and proved difficult to adjust early on.

“It’s a lot wider than expected,” said freshman goaltender Scott Ismond. “It’s definitely a learning curve, but no excuse to drop Friday’s game.”

Senior Cort Bulloch said after two periods the team started to adjust better to the bigger playing surface.

“Sometimes you feel lost out there in the ice,” Bulloch said. “It throws off your setup and your defensive play.”

Bulloch played his last game at the “Big Pond” on Saturday. Held out of Friday’s contest after missing two practices during the week, the senior captain responded by getting playing time Saturday, and committed one penalty.

The Illini are an annual fixture for the Cyclones, and the seniors got their last game at the unique rink for their college careers.

“I’m a little sore, but I’m fighting through it,” Bulloch said. “It was tough to watch the loss from the bench. To leave there with a win in my final game there was something special.”

Coach Al Murdoch kept Bulloch off the ice but on the stationary bike during practice. After sitting him Friday, Murdoch saw the difference when he returned to the ice the next day.

“There aren’t many sports where you can suffer a separated shoulder and come back to play the next weekend,” Murdoch said. “It was good to have him out there to help team chemistry. He’ll get stronger every day.”

For the freshmen, it was their first road trip as Cyclones. Players roomed with seniors to continue to develop chemistry and grow as a team.

“I thought we came closer as a team,” Ismond said. “It was good being with the seniors, learning from them. It was a good learning experience for our first road trip.”

Murdoch understood the difficulties of the trip, but figured his guys knew what to expect.

“I thought the freshman responded well,” Murdoch said. “They don’t get homesick. Some teams struggle on their first road trip, but our guys like it. Our chemistry is getting stronger every game.”

Iowa State was held scoreless for almost the entire game Friday, until Brandon Clark prevented the Illini shutout. The Cyclones almost tied the game, but a shot rang off the iron with eight seconds left. Iowa State lost 2-1.

Saturday, the Cyclones adjusted better to the ice, and the scoreboard reflected it. After a 1-1 first period, the Cyclones tallied the go-ahead goal early in the second on a Matt Rucinski goal. The Cyclones and goalie Erik Hudson played stellar defense to preserve the 2-1 victory and series split.

“The score Saturday was no indication of the play,” Murdoch said. “We could have won 6-1. Our goaltending was outstanding both games. Hudson had his best game of the season Saturday, and Ismond played great Friday. Both gave us a chance to win each game.”

Hudson made 29 saves on Saturday, and Ismond, making his third start of his career, saved 25-of-27 shots from the Illini.

“We learned from Friday’s game that we need to step on the ice and play right away,” Ismond said. “Saturday we were ready for a win, ready to play.”

Going on the road is no easy task. The opposing fans gave the Cyclones all they could handle, and the home team undoubtedly played better behind the partisan crowd.

Winning both games on the road is the goal, but a series split is something Bulloch finds promising.

“I think it was a pretty big success,” Bulloch said. “It’s tough to win on the road. But we battled adversity, and to come back with a greasy road win Saturday was huge and brings the guys together.”

Murdoch’s teams are known for effort in Saturday games. Murdoch shuffled the lineup during the weekend, sending different looks toward the Illini, and was pleased with the effort his team put forth.

“I think they played as well as we’ve ever played this season,” Murdoch said. “We are right on target for where we want to be.”

The Cyclones remain below .500 on the year, but thanks to the strength of schedule, they are still ranked eighth in the league. Despite that and the high praise, Murdoch insists that’s not a cop-out.

“We need to stop talking about our schedule and decide to win every game,” Murdoch said.

Iowa State plays host to Ohio University for Homecoming this weekend. The first game of the weekend is at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.