After suffering a five-week winless streak the Iowa State men’s hockey club looked to flip the script.
The Cyclones opened the weekend with a 5-3 win over the Huskies. Following Friday’s victory, Iowa State sent Northern Illinois home with nothing to show for as it completed the weekend sweep with a 7-4 victory Saturday night.
Friday recap
An offensive battle ends in a 1-1 tie in the first period
Iowa State opened the game by winning the opening face-off and carrying a high-powered offense during the first.
The Cyclones kept the energy high throughout the first by setting themselves up well with many close-to-scoring plays, but ultimately only one goal was allowed for Iowa State.
The Cyclones were using full force, from checks to shoves and other defensive digs. Sam Eaton, Riley Kress and Brady Kearns were three top contributors in maintaining the physicality.
As the period continued, Northern Illinois lit the lamp first at 9:00 in the first.
Following that goal, Iowa State looked for its own goal for the period. At 12:05, John Koravik put the Cyclones on the board.
Caylon Sheffield and David Girardi assisted that goal. The rest of the period played out well, but Iowa State was searching for a lead.
Cyclones score three goals in the second period
A period that began with the Huskies scoring at 0:59 in the second, gave the Cyclones the deficit. They struck back at 3:24 in the period – the goal was scored by Andrew Jicha, assisted by Trevor Slaght.
Not even a minute later, Northern Illinois scored again to take its lead back. Iowa State was ready to strike back as they stayed quick and scrappy throughout the period.
The Cyclones scored two unanswered goals to take the lead ahead of the third period. The third goal of the night was scored by Koravik, unassisted, at 9:45 in the period. The defense and offensive efforts skyrocketed, and at 17:37 in the period, Slaght scored, assisted by Jicha and Myers.
As the period concluded, the efforts by Koravik didn’t go unnoticed. He had a stellar performance offensively. Although he got credited with the goals, the connections on the ice put him in a scoring position.
“I think it’s my teammates, Sam Eaton and Frank Kula. We got put together last week, and we found some chemistry,” Koravik said.
Iowa State puts Northern Illinois away
Beginning the period down a man due to a penalty, the Cyclones were still in search of protecting their lead. The defense for Iowa State never let up despite the scoring chances for the Huskies.
The Cyclones doubled down on their lead with a go-ahead goal to solidify the win. At 12:22 in the third, Michael Mulkerrin scored, assisted by Myers.
Similar to the success of Koravik, Myers played a thrilling game on both sides of the puck. Myers contributed well toward the victory between the two assists and multiple checks against the Huskies.
It’s clear to this team the chemistry and sticking to the basics is the key to success.
“Keeping my mind loose, trusting my teammates, and making plays,” Myers said.
Saturday recap
Iowa State dominates in the offensive zone despite a 1-1 tie at the end of the first
In a deja vu moment, this period looked similar to the first period in Friday’s game with yet another 1-1 tie.
Throughout the first, Iowa State held its ground and had the puck in the offensive zone for the majority of the period. The Cyclones held a stellar defensive game as well.
Iowa State received two penalties during the period, leaving the Cyclones in a three-on-five position. The defense and grasp of the puck during this deficit kept them alive. Ultimately, the Huskies scored first at 12:19 in the period.
In return, Iowa State struck back with a powerplay goal at 16:13 in the first. Alex Robinson set up Mulkerrin for his second goal of the weekend. With the assistant captain role, Mulkerrin’s performance was a great way to set the standard for the team.
“Play simple and step up for the boys,” Mulkerrin said.
Cyclones’ chemistry clashes, resulting in a 3-3 tie in the second
Throughout the game, the Cyclones looked great, but some sort of energy shift resulted in a tie after the second period.
Before the collapse of Iowa State, two goals were scored. The second goal of the night for the Cyclones at 7:22 in the period was scored by Koravik and assisted by Eaton. The two were electric linemates throughout the weekend.
Following that goal, Iowa State scored again for its third goal of the game at 10:54 in the period, scored by Mulkerrin and assisted by Dylan Hender.
The Cyclones were in a good spot with a 3-1 lead, but the Huskies weren’t ready to go down so easily. The Huskies scored two goals within three minutes to end the period with a 3-3 tie.
Iowa State ramped up the energy to secure a weekend sweep
As the Cyclones were in search of reclaiming their lead over the Huskies, their offense went into overdrive.
The period’s first goal was on a power play scored by Jicha at 8:48 in the period. It’s clear that the switch of line pairs has done wonders for this team.
“Chemistry from my two linemates this weekend, Trevor [Slaght] and Andres [Rojas], and holding confidence,” Jicha said.
Yet again, Northern Illinois was ready to stay in the game as the team earned its fourth goal at 10:40 in the third. The Cyclones were ready to have a barnburner game as the gas ran out for the Huskies.
An offensive star this weekend, Koravik scored again at 13:27 in the period, assisted by Andrew Franey and Slaght.
Iowa State continued to have a stellar period as two final goals were scored. At 16:11, Hender lit the lamp that Franey and Sheffield assisted. To round out the night, Koravik scored at 19:59 to earn himself a hat trick.
The Cyclones earned their first home-ice sweep of the season and sent the Huskies home with dust on them.
Iowa State will be back in action on Dec. 6-7 as the club hosts Drury University in its final home ice weekend of the semester.
