Mike Lebler had two goals and Marcus Andary had a goal and assist as the Iowa State Cyclones broke a five-game losing streak, beating Davenport University 5-3 Saturday night.

The Cyclones had lost two series in a row and dropped the Friday night match against the Panthers. Tonight, the players showed off coach Al Murdoch’s philosophy about conditioning.

“We teach the freshmen that they’ll discover Iowa State is always tough on a Saturday and will play tough in the third period,” said Murdoch. “It was an excellent win.”

Murdoch had to play musical chairs with his lineup stemming from last night’s brawl, replacing five guys, including senior Cort Bulloch. The tension from last night’s game spilled over somewhat into tonight, but Iowa State kept their composure throughout the game.

“We kept our cool tonight,” said Lebler. “We had a meeting before the game. We said to keep our cool and don’t get emotional. It was pretty emotional last night.”

Neither team could sustain an offensive attack in the first period. The emotions did pour onto the ice four minutes in, as a skirmish between the two teams led to three Panthers and one Cyclone in the sin bin. Iowa State however couldn’t connect on several power play opportunities, but were winning battles to the puck and possession.

Davenport University came flying out of the gates to start the second. The Panthers struck first blood 17 seconds into the period. A giveaway led to the Panthers passing it out in front and scoring past ISU goaltender Scott Ismond, making only his second start of the year.

“Every team faces adversity,” said Ismond. “It’s good that we’re doing it early in the season so we can learn from it and grow stronger.”

The teams traded goals 13 minutes later. Andary scored his goal in traffic in front of the net. A half minute later, DU capped a two-on-one rush with a swift one-timer.

After the Panthers made it 3-1 with four to play in the second period, Iowa State started their comeback. Freshman Chris Cucullu made a slick toe drag move but his shot was saved. Lebler gathered the rebound and deposited the puck for the goal.

“I told myself I got to start doing something and to step it up,” Lebler said. “I just kept working and eventually the shots went in.”

Showing more determination in the second period, the Cyclones came out in the third determined to win. A good defensive effort on the penalty kill by Iowa State energized the team, and eight minutes into the final frame, Lebler tied it up. Streaking down the left side shorthanded, Lebler, flanked by two defenders, got past both and beat the goaltender right side with a wrist shot.

“It was pretty emotional last night, but we played smarter tonight,” Lebler said. “We needed this one. A big time win for us.”

A scary moment occurred midway through the period, when freshman Matt Rucinski slid feet-first into the Panther goaltender. The ISU medical staff attended to the downed netminder, but he got up and continued to play.

Iowa State eventually got the game-winner from freshman Marcus Malmsten late in the third. Malmsten and Andary led a two-on-one rush. Malmsten kept the puck and fired a wrister for the game winner. The Cyclones added an empty-netter late to make it four unanswered and seal the fourth victory on the season and first for Ismond.

“It feels good for sure,” Ismond said. “The guys played well, and made it easy for me. We had to just stick to it and have fun out there. We had good discipline and kept our attitudes in check tonight.”

Murdoch noted that unlike last night’s matchup, the physical play from Iowa State increased tonight.

“We play best when we play the body and are physical,” Murdoch said. “We did that better tonight. I feel we can play any team from any level.”

The Cyclones are on the road for the first time this season when they travel to Champagne, Ill. to face the University of Illinois next weekend.