If word gets back to other teams in Minnesota on the hospitality given to them by the Cyclone hockey team, they may never visit Ames again.

Iowa State destroyed the Minnesota Lakers 16-1 and the Minnesota Kodiaks 7-3 en route to the 1995 Cyclone Invitational title over the weekend.

Head Coach Al Murdoch was satisfied, to say the least, about how his team played during the tournament.

“I was real pleased,” Murdoch said. “We’ve got five rookies in the lineup who are all playing extremely well. And the 15 veterans are just playing outstanding.”

This mix of youth and experience was typified in the first game by freshman defenseman Chad Evers and senior forward Mike Cech who tallied a hat trick and assist apiece to lead ISU past the Lakers.

After leading 3-0 at the end of the first period, the Cyclones exploded for 13 goals in the final two sessions, including nine in the third, to demolish the Lakers 16-1.

Junior left wing Doug Borud added four points and sophomore forward John Paolello netted two goals to fortify the Cyclone cause.

Sophomore forwards Mike Ogbourne and Brian Wierson and senior defenseman Josh Rustion also pitched in a goal and assist apiece, while junior defenseman Ben Roth recorded a goal and two assists.

The Laker offense was shut out down by the combination of the Cyclone defense and senior goaltender Kyle Geiger who stopped 15 shots.

“The defense did a great job of clearing the guys out front and letting me see the shots I had,” Geiger said.

Murdoch expressed that everything fell perfectly into place for ISU during that first game.

“We were right on our game plan,” he said. “We came out and played a pretty solid defensive game, a pretty physical game, and we wore them down and got the offense going.”

The players agreed that the game went well and explained that the blowout would not present a problem with over-confidence.

“It’s a good way to get the season started off,” Geiger said. “It gives us some momentum.”

“We’ll always work hard, and we’ll never give up,” Evers said of a possible let-down. “You’ve got to bury teams when you can.”

And it was just that logic that propelled the Cyclones past the Kodiaks in the championship game.

Minnesota jumped on the Cyclones first, though, when forward Tom Bogdan gave the Kodiaks the lead, 1-0, at 5:25 in the second period after a scoreless first.

Ruston, who Murdoch said had a very good night, answered right back for ISU when his shot trickled under the pad of the Kodiak goalie at the 7:56 mark for the first of his two goals.

The Cyclones didn’t seem to ignite until Borud hammered Kodiak forward Evan Stensrud into the boards and sent the glass atop them crashing to the arena floor.

“After I made the hit, and he went through the glass, we were down,” Borud said. “Then all of the sudden we were up five-two.”

“It changes the whole momentum of the game by just going out and hitting,” he added. “Somebody’s got to step up and do it and tonight I did it.”

“Every other night it could be someone else that does it.”

Ruston agreed, “It really helps the team to pick up a notch. It takes us to another level.”

Following the nearly twenty minute delay to find a replacement piece of glass, ISU tacked on two more goals in the second and never looked back as they coasted 7-3.

Along with Ruston’s two scores, Borud, Paolello and Wierson each supplied a goal and assist to pace the Cyclones.

The Kodiaks, who were the Junior B national champions last season, were never able to mount a serious assault on ISU thanks to sophomore goalie Rob Howitt who turned away 25 shots.