As the clock hit zero on Saturday, it brought an end to the home careers of seniors Bill Adolph and Mike Murtaugh.

Adolph was the last one to exit the ice, and he left with the crowd chanting his name.

“We have probably the top three crowds in the nation. The only places that compare are Ohio and Illinois,” Adolph said. “It’s the same atmosphere, the crowd gives no mercy to the team and most nights they give no mercy to the officials either so that’s kind of nice.

“The thing I will probably miss the most about playing here is when they yell ‘home of the Cyclones’ at the end of the national anthem. That always sends a chill down my spine. They chanted my name at the end of the game like I’m some good hockey player or something, it made me feel good though.”

Adolph and Murtaugh played their last game together in Friday night’s 9-2 victory over North Dakota State, although Murtaugh was selected to play in the CSCHL All-Star Game on Saturday night.

Adolph had two goals and one assist in the Cyclones 10-0 romping of the Bison on Saturday.

As the game was winding down, Adolph was concerned about getting freshman defenseman Nick Larsen, who skated with Adolph in Murtaugh’s place, the puck for a chance to score.

“I was just trying to get him the puck so he could get a goal, ’cause he had been talking about wanting to score, and he had stepped up and played well tonight,” Adolph said.

Although the Cyclones have plenty of starters returning next year, sophomore forward Chris Mackay talked about how important the seniors were to the team.

“All the points they’ve brought to the team over the years have been significant — while we’re only losing two people, they’ve been a huge part of the team and we’re going to miss them,” Mackay said.

Sophomore forward Cort Bulloch echoed his lineman’s sentiments when he credited them for the effort they brought to the ice every day and said the seniors are going to work extra hard in the ACHA tournament, because they know it’s their last chance.

Adolph’s mom Valerie, along with his dad Bill, has been watching him play since he was three, and she got to keep the puck from his goal that put the Cyclones up 1-0 on Saturday. She was emotional and nostalgic after the game.

“Ames has been amazing these past four years,” Valerie said.

“We have really had a blast. I have so many good memories here to choose from that I don’t think I can even pick a favorite.”

Head coach Al Murdoch talked about what both of the seniors have brought to the team these past four years.

“You can’t say enough about guys like Bill Adolph and Mike Murtaugh,” Murdoch said. “They really define what Cyclone hockey is all about and both will be leaving with a degree here very shortly and both are pretty good hockey players and have a chance of doing something with that once they leave here.

“Either way they are going to be successful.”

Adolph plans to skate in an off-season men’s league in Minnesota until someone comes calling for him to play. As for the Cyclones, they have one thing left on their calendar — the ACHA National Tournament in Cleveland, where the ACHA’s top 16 teams will battle it out for the title.