The ISU men’s hockey squad closed out its weekend action with two wins over the Weber State Wildcats.

The Cyclones won 10-6 on Friday and 8-5 Saturday against the Wildcats.

“It was a big shootout,” said ISU hockey coach Al Murdoch. “There was a lot of goals which was very entertaining for the crowd. We scored 18 goals, and that’s a lot of goals in two games, but the opponent got 11. We’ll put a little emphasis on defense.”

The ISU squad played to its strength Friday, speeding by the more physical Weber State. After introducing Cyclone parents and players at the first intermission for Family Weekend, the game was underway. Weber State scored several on its own goal, helping Iowa State to the win, 10-6.

“They [ISU] were clicking really well,” Murdoch said. “I’m real pleased with our forward shooting. When the opportunity was there, we had a lot of different people scoring, and that’s gratifying when you get a lot of guys involved in the scoring. If our opponent tries to shadow any of our players in the upcoming week, we got a lot of guys that can put the puck in the net.”

Again on Saturday, the Cyclone speed again overwhelmed the Wildcats, with Scott Steinkamp scoring less than five minutes into the first period. The Wildcats remained scoreless until the closing seconds of the first period, which ended with the Cyclones leading 2-1.

The second period saw more scoring. Cyclone forwards Mark Krueger and Glenn Detulleo collaborated for the second time this period, again for Iowa State. However, the Wildcats kept up and the period ended with the Cyclones ahead 5-4.

“It was much of the same Saturday night,” Murdoch said. “It started out as a defensive battle, but then our guys picked up the pace.”

In the third period, Nathan Dahlen took over responsibilities in the net, giving Phil Popp a rest. Iowa State spent most of the third period on the powerplay.

“We were just looking for a change of pace in the net. We were looking for the right combination,” Murdoch said. “All of our goaltenders have had periods of time where they play really well, but there’s also been times where we gave up some goals. We’d like to tighten that down.”

The Cyclones are back in action this weekend beginning Central States Legion Hockey League play with a doubleheader against University of Illinois Friday and Saturday at the Ames Ice Arena.

“Illinois is a top-10 team, top five in our league,” Murdoch said. “I think we’ve shown so far that we’re capable of being physical, and we also have pretty good speed. I think we’ll be one of the faster teams in the nation.”