Iowa State was able to pull off a split with the No. 2 Lindenwood this weekend, giving the team confidence and showing that they have what it takes to play at a high level.

“This shows that we can play with anybody and play well,” coach Al Murdoch said. “We’re willing to work hard. This is not an easy school to go to and it’s not an easy team to play for; our coaching staff is very demanding. Our players want to be here for that reason.”

Despite losing the first game 4-3 in a shoot-out, the Cyclones were able to beat out the Lions in total points by a score of 6-2.

Winning the second game was important for Iowa State because it allows them to stay in the race for conference play. Getting points against a team like Lindenwood, which is expected to finish near the top of the conference, puts the Cyclones in a position to control their own destiny.

Coming into the game, revenge was heavy on the minds of the Cyclones and sophomore forward Mike Lebler they got what they were looking for.

“It was definitely a good feeling to beat those guys. They came in here pretty cocky after last year, so a win on Saturday was definitely huge for us; so it felt good,” Lebler said.

Even though Iowa State wasn’t able to get the sweep, senior forward Bill Adolph said he feels that they played well.

“We came in and obviously we wanted to get the sweep, which wasn’t a possibility after Friday night, losing in a shoot-out — that was definitely the most disappointing loss; but it was good to go out Saturday and take it to them and get the win,” Adolph said.

Cyclone Hockey’s speed again played a big part in the impressive performance against Lindenwood.

“We used our speed a lot more and we crashed the net a lot also,” Adolph said. “We scored a lot of rebound goals, which is something that we’re working for.

Adolph also said that they did a good job of shooting the puck at the goalies toes, which Murdoch had been emphasizing in practice the week leading up to the game. There are some things that Adolph feels the team needs to work on.

“Obviously we had times in both games where we got pinned down and struggled to get the puck out of the net, but we’ll work on that. We’re working on keeping our intensity, because at times, it’s easy to take a shift off when you have the lead; we need to get back to where we never take a shift off,” Adolph said.

Lebler said he feels that penalties were also an issue.

“We took a lot of penalties this week and that obviously hurt us this weekend. We took a lot of power play goals, and if we can eliminate those, it will definitely help us out,” Lebler said.

Iowa State gave the Lions their first loss of the season, which is a big factor to the voters who decide the rankings.

“Handing them their first loss was huge,” Murdoch said. “It opens up a lot of peoples’ eyes around the nation and shows them that Iowa State is a force to be reckoned with.”

In their next match, the Cyclones will go on the road for the first time as they take on Eastern Michigan University.