St. Louis goalie Alex Miller had a busy night Saturday, as he faced a dominating offensive performance by the Cyclones. Iowa State fired 67 shots at Miller, compared to only 17 on ISU goaltender Paul Karus, and put five in the back of the net as they took the first of the two-game series 5-3.

“Top to bottom, we played really well against a pesky St. Louis team,” said coach Al Murdoch.

The Cyclones began the game behind, as the Billikens scored two quick goals in the first before freshman defenseman Justin Wilkinson scored a power play goal for Iowa State.

“The bounces really weren’t going our way early, and their goalie play was unreal,” said ISU sophomore defenseman Brody Toigo.

Iowa State jumped out early in the second period, as Brent Cornelius put the puck past Miller for an unassisted goal just a minute into the second period.

The Cyclones scored just three minutes later to knot the game at 2-2 when junior forward Mitch Paulsen swatted a Brent Cornelius shot out of the air and into the back of the net. St. Louis scored again two minutes later on an ISU turnover with 11:57 to play in the second.

Cyclone senior forward Pete Majkozak answered the two goal streak with a power play goal with 5:28 in the second, giving the Cyclones a 4-3 lead into the second intermission.

The Cyclones controlled the puck in the Billikens end for most of the third, until Majkozak put in the final tally with 3:48 left in the game with assists from Brian Spring and Toigo.

“With a one-goal lead, we were only one shot from putting it away,” Majkozak said.

“You can always breathe easier with a little insurance.”

A key point in the Cyclone’s victory was their ability to capitalize on their power play opportunities.

Two of the Cyclones’ five goals came on power plays as the Cyclones converted all but one of their three power plays.

“We always like to see those power play goals because it makes the other team feel more pressure, defensively, for the rest of the game,” Murdoch said.

First-year coach and two-time Stanley Cup winner Todd Ewen knew his Billiken team would be up against a tough ISU team this weekend.

“We had great opportunities, but ISU really blasted the puck all night,” said Ewen.

Scoring for the Cyclones were Majkozak, with two goals, and Cornelius and Paulsen, with a goal apiece.

The Cyclones went on to sweep the weekend series with a 5–0 win over the Billikens on Sunday.

Chris Mackay notched a goal and an assist in the third period of the win, the Cyclones’ 15th of the season.