There were a number of big questions entering the 1998 Cyclone hockey season.

Would a team with only two returning seniors and four returning juniors have the experience and leadership to focus its energies and compete as a true team?

Would Head Coach Al Murdoch, in his 30th season, be able to create a cohesive unit out of a diverse collection of talent from as near as Des Moines and as distant as Leuk, Switzerland?

Would the Cyclones, made up of 54 percent freshmen, be able to compete against one of the most difficult schedules in recent memory?

Would the Iowa State defense be able to excel, despite the loss of nearly every 1997 starter, including standout goaltender Rob Howitt?

It may be impossible to draw any real conclusions from the first series of the season, but if the Iowa State/Life College matchup was any indicator, the Cyclones will pick up right where they left off last season.

Life entered the Friday contest as Division II’s two-time defending national champions and brought with them a record marked by outstanding success over the majority of the past decade.

On Saturday, Life was swept out of town by a pesky Cyclone attack that took advantage of opportunities to double their opponent’s series score, winning both contests, 9-5 and 3-1.

“It’s important to start the schedule strong,” Murdoch said after the second win. “I’m real proud of our guys.”

Life came out strong on Friday, handing the Cyclones a three-goal deficit midway through the first period, but the Skating Eagles quickly lost momentum.

Iowa State began its comeback at the 13:56 mark of the first, when senior Darren Anderson scored on a clean pass from Glenn Detulleo.

It took Darren just over three minutes longer to narrow the Eagles’ lead to 3-2.

When Rob Rose took a slashing penalty with just two minutes to play in the first, it looked as if the Cyclones wouldn’t be tying the score before period number two.

It was at this point that Darcy Anderson stepped into the spotlight.

Darcy deflected an Eagle pass in the back of the Cyclone defensive zone and used a combination of raw speed and agility to knot the score at three before the first intermission.

“I knew I had to take advantage of my opportunity when I saw it,” Darcy said. “I just used my jets to beat one defender, took the next guy wide and made a good move on the goalie. Luckily everything worked out.”

Having watched their impressive lead evaporate in a matter of minutes, the Eagles’ spirits were broken, and they really didn’t pose much of a threat the rest of the game.

Darcy thought the early setback was good for the team.

“It was actually kind of nice to see a 3-0 deficit,” Darcy said. “The guys showed real emotion and backbone. They showed that we can play three periods. It was good for us to fight back.”

Freshman Marc Sarazin gave the Cyclones the lead less than a minute into the second period that they wouldn’t relinquish, and Darren Anderson added to the lead by completing his hat trick just two minutes later.

“We were a little nervous going in because we’re such a young team,” Darren said, “but as long as we keep playing like this, I think we’re going to put a lot of goals on the board and pick up a lot of wins.”

Sarazin and Darcy Anderson would each pick up a second goal before the final buzzer rang, and freshmen Rob Rose and Jeremy Meyer also scored in the game.

Despite his own impressive numbers, Darren Anderson was more interested in talking about his team after the win.

“The guys practiced really strong all week and worked hard out there today,” Darren said. “We’ve got a lot of heart on this team.”

One aspect of the game that Coach Murdoch said he would look to improve upon was the number of penalties his squad was flagged for.

The Cyclones committed 39 penalties in the game for 121 minutes, compared to only 16 Eagle penalties for 32 minutes.

Murdoch was not impressed with the officiating, but also focused some of the blame on his team.

“There were more penalties than we’ve had in a long time,” he said. “I thought maybe [the referees] were trying to send a message early in the season that they want clean, fast hockey. Sometimes it gets carried away, but we’ll settle down.”

Darcy Anderson wasn’t as gracious in his assessment of referee Doran Doty.

Darcy didn’t hide his feelings for Doty after the official made some questionable calls in the Cyclones’ 4-0 loss to Penn State in last season’s national tournament. Coincidentally, Darcy was flagged for 24 minutes of penalties in Friday’s game.

“Let’s just say that particular ref still has a chip on his shoulder from last year,” Darcy said. “It was more of a personal vendetta than me doing anything wrong. Any opportunity he had to throw me in the box, he did.”

Despite spending 26 minutes and 19 seconds out of commission, Darcy finished with a pair of goals (both shorthanded) and a pair of assists.

Junior Greg Jones and freshman Glenn Detulleo were also targets of Doty’s quick whistle. Jones finished the game with 30 minutes in penalties, and Detulleo had 19 minutes at the time of his disqualification in the second.

Darren Anderson, whose eight penalty minutes are more than every player on the Eagle roster, said the Cyclones would not change their style of play.

“The referees better get used to [our style] because that’s the way we’re going to play for the rest of the year — hard-nosed and tough.”

Rose, who was penalized only twice on Friday, echoed Darren’s sentiments.

“That’s what we’re going to be doing all year — just pounding guys out there.”

One highlight of the game was the Cyclone defense. Untested going in, Iowa State’s defenders played admirably, giving up only five goals despite being shorthanded the majority of the game.

Freshman goaltender Dan Lavoie worked out some jitters in the early going and turned in a nearly flawless second period.

The Cyclones played the Eagles at full strength for only three minutes and 16 seconds in the second frame. Despite constant pressure, LaVoie gave up only one goal.

“It’s a nice ice-breaker for me,” LaVoie said after the game. “I went in a little nervous and I was a little shaky at the start, but I finished off strong.”

In game two, referee Todd Janousek was far more conservative with the whistle, flagging the Eagles for only 42 penalty minutes and the Cyclones for 28. Iowa State again took advantage of its scoring opportunities and fought to a 3-1 victory.

Nick Makris was exceptional between the pipes for the Cyclones, allowing just one goal on 17 shots.

“The first period was shaky for me,” Makris said. “Between periods I got my head together, and by the second, I was set.”

On two separate occasions in the second period, Makris stuffed one-man Eagle breakaways to the delight of his teammates and the standing-room-only Cyclone crowd.

“I wanted a chance to pump the team up,” Makris said. “We came out a little flat, and I knew a save would pump the crowd up and that would pump the team up. I came out looking for a big save, and I got my opportunity on those breakaways.”

The Cyclones trailed 1-0 entering the second period, but scored twice in the first six minutes to take the lead.

Darcy Anderson scored at the 57-second mark to tie the game at one apiece.

At 5:43, Jones scored stickside on a nifty one-timer from Darren Anderson.

Junior Brian Paolello put the game out of reach late in the third period with his first goal of the season.

Coach Murdoch was extremely pleased with the performance of his team and especially the discipline the players showed Saturday after Friday’s fiasco.

“We have a very strong discipline system on this team,” Murdoch said. “The guys know I don’t condone unnecessary penalties.”

Murdoch is a big proponent of physical play but says he doesn’t tolerate late hits and dirty play.

“When the whistle blows, we stop playing and walk away.”

6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman Tory Larson epitomized his coach’s feelings, walking away from several cheap-shots by much smaller players.

“We’re just supposed to take it and get them back later with a clean hit,” Larson said. “Coach doesn’t want anything after the whistle — no stupid penalties.”

Darcy Anderson, who scored the tying goals in both contests, was impressed with the resolve of his team.

“It just shows our guys can overcome deficits,” Darcy said. “It doesn’t seem to bother us when they get a couple of lucky ones.”

He pointed to the team’s physical play as one of the reasons for the win.

“Hitting was a big factor,” Darcy said. “We weren’t hitting in the first when they scored, but we came out hitting in the second, popped in a goal right away and just fed off of that.”

Despite cutting his penalty minutes by a factor of seven from the previous night, Darcy still incurred the wrath of Murdoch after an unsportsmanlike conduct call in the third.

“It was a situation where the guy came at me after the whistle, and I just popped him to protect myself,” Darcy said. “I have to learn to control myself better — I don’t like backing down.”

Neither do the Cyclones, if this weekend was any indicator. They fought from behind both days to post a perfect 2-0 record to start 1998.

The Cyclones are home again this weekend against Minot State.