Iowa State’s offense was good against the No. 1-ranked men’s hockey team last weekend, but Penn State’s was better.

The Cyclones lost 8-5 to No. 1 Penn State on Friday but went on to defeat Mercyhurst 7-5 on Saturday and Lehigh 4-3 on Sunday in the first ever American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I Showcase. Last season, Penn State edged Iowa State 3-2 in the ACHA National Tournament.

With the two wins, Iowa State is now 7-4 overall.

In Friday’s game, five different players scored for the Cyclones.

Junior forward Brett Popadych said the team played competitively with Penn State.

“We played hard and learned a lot with the Penn State game,” Popadych said.

Assistant coach Andrew Murdoch said the first two periods of the game set the pace for a loss.

“In the first two periods, we were a little flat,” Murdoch said. “But in the third period, we played well.”

Against Mercyhurst, junior forward Travis Denzel scored a hat trick. Scott Hagen added two, while Travis Fast and Popadych each scored a goal.

In Sunday’s game, Tim O’Shea fired the game-winning goal on the power play. Griffin Gale, Hagen and Popadych all had goals for Iowa State.

Popadych said he was pleased with the way the team responded after the Penn State game.

“With Mercyhurst and Lehigh, they were ugly wins, but they’re wins and that’s what counts,” Popadych said. “We’re really happy with the weekend, and the two wins were a team builder for us.”

Murdoch said goaltenders Trent Baker and Ross Patrick played well in the net.

“Even though we lost to Penn State, we had a good showing against them,” Murdoch said. “We’re pretty happy with the way we played over there. Our top line [Hagen, Denzel, Fast] is playing at the top of their game. Our juniors are stepping up for us right now.”

Iowa State plays defending Central States Collegiate Hockey League tournament champion Illinois this weekend at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena. Friday’s contest is set for 7:30 p.m. and Saturday’s game will start at 2 p.m.

“It’s our biggest weekend series right now,” Popadych said. “It’s going to be a big measuring stick for us. They’re going to be coming out flying.

“We need to come out hitting, slow them down and if we do that, we’re going to be able to put some pucks in the net.”