It’s the little things that are the difference between a win and a loss and for Iowa State, and this weekend was no exception.

This weekend saw the Cyclone hockey team split the series against the Sooners, losing 7-6 in a shootout on Friday and winning 4-2 on Saturday. The shootout loss on Friday dropped Iowa State’s record to 1-2 in shootouts this season. The general feeling around the locker room was mixed about whether or not the team should be concerned about its bad luck with the shootouts.

“Those are big points [in the standings], especially against ACHA teams,” forward Mike Lebler said. “It’s definitely an area we’re concerned about because that could be the end of our season or that could mean going on.”

Sophomore goalie Erik Hudson seemed less concerned about the team’s struggles in shootouts, seeming more worried about his own game in the shootout.

“I do take [Friday night’s] loss personally,” Hudson said. “Unfortunately the puck was rolling in Oklahoma’s favor.”

He wouldn’t, however, take the blame for every shootout loss, expressing confidence in the team despite its record.

“I don’t take [the rest of the losses] personally,” Hudson said. “I think we are the best team in the nation in shootouts.”

Possibly one of the biggest differences between winning the shootout and losing it is the amount of points a team earns toward its place in the standings. The Cyclones were still able to earn one point in the shootout — ultimately three out of a possible four this weekend — but that one point could be the difference between the Cyclones getting a higher or lower seed in the upcoming CSCHL Tournament.

After giving up six goals and three shootout goals to Oklahoma on Friday, Hudson still made the start on Saturday. Coach Al Murdoch said that despite the struggles on Friday, he was completely confident in his goalie and that’s why he got the start Saturday.

“After the game [on Friday] I got together with the goaltenders and said, ‘Hey, I’m looking at this as an aberration,’” Murdoch said. “A once-in-a-50-game deal and we’re going to write that off. I talked with him [Saturday] and talked about things to do and he came in and played the type of game he was capable of playing.”

This weekend’s series did not turn out the way Iowa State had hoped. Still, the team was able to collect three points to go toward the standings. Junior defenseman Matt Verdoni seemed very optimistic about the team’s chances in upcoming contests against such teams as Central Oklahoma and Illinois, especially after seeing the way the team was able to play this past weekend.

“The biggest thing with this team as opposed to the last few years I’ve been here is that we’re hungry,” Verdoni said. “We know we’re a good team and we come out with that attitude every day. We expect to win so anytime we even get a point taken away from us in a shootout loss, we’re disappointed. We have a lot more focus this year and we know where we can go, we just have to focus on it and play our style of play and good things will come in the future.”