In a split series against the Warriors, the Cyclones claimed their second victory of the season. With a tough game one loss, Iowa State had something to prove. The Cyclones soared past the Warriors with a game two 4-3 victory.
Offensive Takeaways
The offense of Iowa State took off in game two of the series. As the Cyclones made their return to Ames for game two, revenge was on the agenda.
In game one of the series, Iowa State only put up one goal in its 3-1 loss to the Warriors. Despite the slow start, the team successfully avoided a shutout.
The sole scorer was defenseman Ben Pfannenstein at 2:12 in the third period; the goal was assisted by forward Trevor Slaght.
In the return to Ames for game two, the Cyclones seemed to have shaken off the late starts. This change in consistency is what the Iowa State head coach has been trying to implement all season.
“We played the full 60 minutes, that’s what all matters, right?” Iowa State head coach Jonas Hostovecky said. “That’s the message I’m trying to tell the team, we just have to play consistently.”
Iowa State opened up the scoring in the first period with a goal scored by forward Matthew Mahoney.
With three power-play opportunities following the goal, the Cyclones came up short despite keeping the puck in the offensive zone during their power plays.
Iowa State rebounded from the missed power play opportunities with a goal at 17:08 in the first period. Captain Michael Mulkerrin scored the goal.
With a goal set by the leader of the team, Mulkerrin’s main focus this season is to reestablish the legacy of the hockey club.
“Getting everyone to buy in, kinda goes back to the way Iowa State hockey was,” Mulkerrin said. “Kind of rebuild the program and kind of get everyone on board here.”
As time began to wind down, a late-period scuffle resulted in a three-on-three game. The penalties carried over into the second period. Nothing was made of the opportunity.
Following another missed power play opportunity, forward Sam Eaton lit the lamp at 7:30 in the second period. The goal was assisted by defenseman Gabe Myers. With this goal, the Cyclones took the lead into the third period.
The Cyclones extended their lead with a goal scored at 12:15 in the third period. The goal was scored by forward Dylan Hender, who was assisted by Pfannenstein.
With four goals, Iowa State took home the victory. The rest of the period was led by the Cyclone’s aggressive defense.
Defensive takeaways
In game one, despite the three goals scored by Waldorf, Iowa State stayed defensive. Between the six penalties against the Cyclones, the team held down the defensive zone and no power-play goals were allowed in game one.
Throughout game two, Iowa State stayed physical and held electric energy. During the first period, despite being in the defensive zone a little too long, the defense of the team ensured no goals.
Ultimately, the Warriors scored a breakaway goal at 12:47 in the first period.
The defense continued to heighten, and Iowa State started checking players into the boards left and right.
One final point of weakness in the first period allowed the Warriors to tie the game at 3:42 in the second period. As Waldorf went on a power play late in the second period, Iowa State showed out to ensure another successful penalty kill.
Throughout the third period, the defense took off in a newfound way. A key penalty kill for the Cyclones was fueled by the dynamic energy of the goalie Noah Behrens-Gould. With a two-goal lead, Iowa State had to step up to close out the victory.
Despite an electric late third-period penalty kill, a Waldorf goal at 18:40 in the period put Iowa State in a tight spot. With a swift and dominant defense, the Cyclones secured the victory.
Player of the series: Behrens-Gould
With his first win in his Iowa State career, goalie Behrens-Gould took his game to a whole new level.
In game two of the Waldorf series, Behrens-Gould became a menace in between the pipes.
The game two victory was secured, with a 91% save percentage by Behrens-Gould. Despite the electric goal by the goaltender, he attributed his success to the entirety of the team’s game two performance.
“However I play is always gonna be based on, you know, the team helping me out,” Behrens-Gould said. “I think we all worked together for the full 60 minutes.”
One of the biggest moments of Behrens-Gould’s performance was in the third-period penalty kill. As the Warriors became hungry for a comeback but the goaltender got his crease on lockdown and successfully closed out the game with the victory.
After this electric win for Behrens-Gould, his future looks bright as he proved he can come up big in crucial moments. As this goaltender continues to navigate his career at Iowa State, success should be in reach.
The beginning of the rebuild starts with a core defense, and Iowa State proved to have that in a nail-biter victory.
“You know, future teams should be scared because when we play our full game and play together, we’re gonna win a lot of games,” Behrens-Gould said.
