After winning 9-2 in decisive fashion Friday night, the Cyclones looked to wrap up their season on a high note against the Bison from North Dakota State, and did with a 10-0 victory.

Senior forward Bill Adolph, playing in his final Cyclone home game, got the team off to a good start, scoring just two minutes into the game on a close range shot from the wing that beat the goalkeeper glove side, giving Iowa State a 1-0 lead.

Adolph said the goal was an accident.

 “I wasn’t even trying to score, I was trying to get the puck back over to [Mike] Lebler, but it hit off the goalie and went in,” Adolph said.

With 7:51 remaining in the opening period, the Cyclones went up 2-0 off a goal by sophomore forward Jordan Pascale who found the net on a pass from sophomore forward Chris Mackay. As the period progressed the Cyclones once again showed they were physically superior to the Bison as North Dakota State had some trouble dealing with Iowa State’s checking.

Iowa State kept the pressure on as Mackay found sophomore forward Cort Bulloch for the goal with just under a minute left in the opening period,r and the Cyclones carried the 3-0 lead and momentum into the locker room after the first period. 

The Cyclone defense limited the Bison to only five shots.

Mackay kept the Cyclones going into the second period, hooking up with Bulloch again right in front of the net just 2:11 into the second period, putting the Cyclones up 4-0. This put Mackay’s total at one goal and two assists.

Just past the halfway point of the second period head coach Al Murdoch, decided to test the underclassmen, replacing sophomore Erik Hudson with freshman Paul Karus.

With 4:17 remaining in the second period sophomore forward Mike Lebler found Adolph on a beautifully placed pass in front of the net, allowing Adolph to put in his second goal of the game and put ISU up 5-0.

 “I picked off a pass on the sideboards and kind of fell, but I was able to get the puck to Paulsen, who was able to get it over to Lebler and I yelled for it.  He was able to flip it over to me and I don’t think the goalie even tried to save it,” Adolph said.

Less than a minute later, Mackay and Pascale got out on a breakaway, Mackay finding Pascale for his second goal of the game and a 6-0 lead for the Cyclones.  This was Mackay’s third assist of the game to go along with the goal, bringing his point total to four on the game.

Mackay credited the success to the way they moved the puck around and found the open guy in front of the net.

 “I guess that’s what we’ve been trying to do all year, but against a team like this, it’s time to bear down and do the small things that made that possible and tonight showed it,” Mackay said.

ISU wasn’t done however, as sophomore forward Mitch Paulsen found Mike Lebler just outside the circle on the goalies stick side. Lebler launched a beautiful puck across the net and beat the goalie top shelf glove side, allowing ISU to carry a dominating 7-0 lead into the locker room at intermission. 

Karus and Hudson combined to stop all seven Bison shots on net.

A little less than four minutes into the third period freshman forward Jason Pacheco got into the scoring column when a Bison defender tried to stop the puck with his glove, but missed allowing Pacheco to score on the breakaway and put the Cyclones up 8-0. Junior forward Pete Majkozak was credited with the assist. A couple minutes later, junior defenseman Adam Mueller joined the club as he was assisted by freshman defenseman Josh Mandich, putting the Cyclones up 9-0.

At the 12:00 mark, frustration got to the Bison as tensions escalated down in the Bison zone. No one was ejected, however, as the officials just gave out two minute roughing penalties to all three players involved.

Paulsen got on the sheet again, this time with a goal, giving the Cyclones a 10-0 lead with 1:16 remaining in the game on an assist from Adolph.