Iowa State falls 4-1 on Saturday night

Nikita Kozak, senior in mechanical engineering, plays for the Cyclone hockey team. 

James Powell

Cyclone Hockey is seeing its season wind down, having only two more weekend series to prove to the ACHA committee that it belongs in the top 20. It looked to get a signature win on the road against third-ranked Lindenwood on Saturday night.

The Cyclones did not get off to the start they were hoping for, turning the puck over in the defensive zone right off the bat. Hayden Dawes got a shot right out in front and put it past senior goalie Nikita Kozak just 33 seconds into the game.

Aside from the early mistakes, the Lions dominated the first half of the period. Things were more fluid and evened out in terms of zone time to close out the first 20 minutes.

The second period also saw a plethora of early action. Aapo Nurminen of Lindenwood scored on a wraparound with 30 seconds gone in the middle frame. This time, however, the Cyclones responded, as Max Kamper scored just ten seconds later off a pass from Bryan Bandyk.

The second period saw a number of nice saves from Kozak, keeping the Cyclones in the game, at least for the time being.

The third period was really where Lindenwood flexed its scoring muscles, as Hayden Ursulak scored twice within about the first five minutes of the third period. That, combined with the stifling Lion defense, ended the game with a score of 4-1.

The Cyclones continue the series at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Centene Community Center.