Coaches and fans alike got a good chance to analyze the new-look Cyclone hockey team at the annual scrimmage game Wednesday night at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.

The intersquad game pitted the Cardinal team against the Gold, which won 5-3. But for coach Al Murdoch, productivity and hard work were most important.

“I was really pleased,” Murdoch said. “I thought there was a lot of hustle and enthusiasm. The game was real fast, real physical and end-to-end action all the way. They were skating like they meant it.”

The coaches put the two squads together using a player draft and divided the players equally. Murdoch started with 58 players Monday, and Tuesday and cut it down to 44 for the scrimmage game Wednesday night.

While the freshmen were out to impress, Murdoch emphasized that the veterans did not get a free pass.

“Everyone is playing for spots,” Murdoch said. “There are no guarantees for anybody.”

One of those playing for a spot is freshman goaltender Scott Ismond. A native of Calgary, Alberta, Ismond stopped 18 of 20 shots he faced in 30 minutes of game action.

“I felt good going in,” Ismond said. “Slapping that Iowa State logo on your chest is a lot to think about, but I think I played great. I was able to see shots and cleared away rebounds right away.”

Both teams used a fast, up-tempo style of play. Freshman forward Jake Flynn had a goal and two assists, and freshman defenseman Kyle Van also had a goal. Murdoch acknowledged both players’ positive performances on the ice.

“Flynn had a solid first period and looked good on offense, and Van looked real good on defense,” Murdoch said. “Some other guys that are freshmen will have a hard time beating out Van and Flynn for spots. Those two are a couple of our top freshmen.”

Flynn, a Washington native, enjoyed his first game action on the ice with his teammates.

“I really like playing with these guys,” Flynn said. “I thought I had a really good game, and I think that helped my chances of making the team.”

Sophomore forward David Kurbatsky, who had a goal for the Cardinal team, knows Flynn from playing on the same juniors team two years ago. Kurbatsky played on the Cyclone team that made the playoffs last year.

However, the vast array of new faces means playing smoothly together won’t happen overnight.

“It’s going to take a while for the guys to develop chemistry,” Kurbatsky said. “It’s going be a battle and a lot of action this year, with guys battling for spots and trying to prove themselves.”

Murdoch now has the difficult task of selecting the final 28 who will make the Division I team to play Friday against St. Cloud State University — the rest will fill out the D-III roster.

Because Friday’s game is the first regular season game, players are anxious to get out there and play for real.

“I expect the guys to come out and fight for the first game at home,” Ismond said. “For a lot of guys it’s their first game and they want to make a good impression. Playing strong is key, and of course you want to impress the fans.”

Captain Cort Bulloch echoes his teammates comments, adding that the fans will see the Cyclones’ style of play right out of the gate.

“We’re going to come out and play our game, skate hard and finish every check,” Bulloch said. “It will definitely be a good barometer for us to see where we’re at.”

St. Cloud State will send their equivalent of a second team to Ames for the weekend series. Murdoch expects a good opponent facing his young squad.

“We’ll have our hands full with SCSU,” Murdoch said. “They are a good skating team. It’ll be a solid game. A good test for both teams.”

The coaches will stress conditioning and special teams during practice. Murdoch especially preaches that physical, up-tempo style of play, led by the captain Bulloch.

St. Cloud State will face the Cyclones twice this weekend. For the Cyclones to win both games, Murdoch stressed one main thing.

“It boils down to maintaining possession of the puck,” Murdoch said. “I think they’ll have good speed and be good with the puck, but possession will be very important.”

The first game of the season is 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena.