For five decades, winning has been a way of life for one Cyclone sports program.

Not for Cyclone football or men’s and women’s basketball or even Cyclone volleyball. Winning has been a way of life for Cyclone Hockey.

This season marks the 50th anniversary for the program. Throughout those 50 years, Cyclone Hockey has consistently been one of the best programs in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).

It has appeared in 14 ACHA Final Fours, nine ACHA National Championship games and has claimed one national title. Since it has routinely been a national title contender, the motto surrounding the program is, “Where winning is a way of life.”

Before winning became a way of life for the cardinal and gold, there were multiple mountains to climb to sustain the success the program is used to today, from not having a proper home arena to budget restraints.

Despite those challenges, Cyclone Hockey is arguably the most successful program at Iowa State. Here is the history of those hurdles to get the program to where it is today, told through the people who experienced them.

From Des Moines to Hilton Coliseum

Back in the late ’60s, there wasn’t an Ames-based ice arena for Cyclone Hockey to use for practices and games. The team had to travel back and forth to Des Moines to practice and play their home games. It was a burden for the team and fans alike. That is, until Hilton Coliseum opened its doors on Dec. 2, 1971.

Known today as the home for Iowa State basketball, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics, the arena hosted Cyclone Hockey games regularly in its first decade of existence.

Former Cyclone Hockey head coach, Al Murdoch: There was a donor, when I first came, that discovered that I was from Canada. [The donor knew] I was knowledgeable about hockey and he thought maybe [Cyclone Hockey should play] in Hilton Coliseum and there could be ice in there too. But we needed more money.

So, Murdoch set out to find more money and he found it in a donor located in Chicago. Murdoch met with the benefactor and at the end of the meeting, the supporter pledged $100,000 if there were at least 10 hockey games played in Hilton a year. And because of that donation, Cyclone Hockey finally found its home in Ames.

To ensure the team could participate in Hilton Coliseum, the portable bleachers and the hardwood would be removed to bring in the ice and boards to build the rink. And even without the portable bleachers, Cyclone Hockey still experienced great turnouts.

Former Cyclone Hockey forward and captain, Bill Ward: We played an exhibition game against the Des Moines Buccaneers. That game, we had about 6,000 fans. And it was just an incredible atmosphere.

The way it was structured, when you put the ice in and the seats kind of coming down over [the rink], there weren’t many bad seats.

Game in and game out, the lower bowl in Hilton Coliseum would be filled with screaming fans. And, depending on who Cyclone Hockey was playing—like the time they took on the Olympic team—there would be a few hundred fans in the upper deck portion.

While the attendance was solid in Hilton Coliseum, the hockey action was even better. Cyclone Hockey experienced a lot of firsts in the venue. The program won its first Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) conference title and it saw the team claim back-to-back Big 8 titles.

Murdoch: We played 12 to 14 seasons, our home schedule was all in Hilton Coliseum.

It’s a great venue for hockey.

Their own ice arena

Despite playing games in Hilton Coliseum, Cyclone Hockey couldn’t practice there. So instead of still practicing down in Des Moines, the team practiced outside on an outdoor ice sheet just north of Beyer Hall.

Murdoch: We practiced on an outdoor rink north of Beyer Hall. They strung cables from post to post and hung light bulbs from it. They referred to it as, “Al’s used car lot.”

But practicing outside had its negatives — primarily, the ice would melt. So, an idea blossomed.

Murdoch: North of Beyer Hall is mostly shaded, so the ice wouldn’t completely melt, but sometimes there was water on it. So, that’s when the idea came to build a practice facility. Still play games in Hilton, but practice in the Cyclone Area Community Center. There were a couple of conflicts with men’s and women’s basketball or whatever, so we would play a game or two in that building.

The Cyclone Area Community Center, which is now the coaches’ office and hockey lounge for the players, became Cyclone Hockey’s new home in 1979. Friday and Saturday night games were a must for Iowa State students and Ames residents alike.

Ward: I think it sat about 1,000 people, but that included standing room only. So, most of our games we played at home were absolutely packed. The one end of the rink that was standing room only went five, six, seven rows deep. The crowd was boisterous. It was absolutely great to play home games in there. You had a huge crowd behind you, including the band and the cheerleaders.

The fans would get a little rowdy for sure. But it was a great experience.

The rowdiness could have been a factor due to the arena selling beer, but Murdoch insists that was not the case.

Murdoch: It was cold, so [fans] were wearing coats and mittens and they all had a beer in each hand. I don’t think the selling of beer had any influence on the crowds. But, the students had a riot in there.

So, we played in there for a good 25 years. Gradually, we played more games there because we could make more money. The students loved it.

1992

The 1992 season is undoubtedly the pinnacle season for the cardinal and gold. After sharing the first regular season CSCHL title with Michigan-Dearborn, the program’s bid to win its fourth-straight conference tournament came up short. But it still had its eyes set on a national championship.

Murdoch: The national tournament was hosted by Penn State that year and it was set up in a round robin type style. Where you didn’t necessarily have to win every game to make it to the national championship.

Ward: We were banged up a little bit. A couple teammates didn’t even make the trip.

Murdoch: We had a pretty good team that year, but we had a few injuries prior to nationals. One guy had knee surgery. One guy had shoulder surgery. So, I thought that wasn’t a problem. We had depth, we would work through it.

So, we go out into the first game, which I believe was against Eastern Michigan, and we come out of that game tied because back then games could end in a tie. The players went onto the bus disappointed, but I told them not to sweat it. But then the next day in the next game, we tied again. Once again the players were down and I told them not to sweat it.

The last tie gave Cyclone Hockey the worst seed in the tournament. However, they cruised by beating North Dakota State, which was a perennial powerhouse at that time, handily in the Final Four.

That win over the Bison pitted the team against Michigan-Dearborn once again, this time for a national title.

Ward: The only thing I remember is somehow getting to face off against Michigan-Dearborn in the final because they were actually an NCAA Division I [team]. So, they had a bunch of players that actually stayed while they transitioned over to the ACHA.

Murdoch: Michigan-Dearborn was an NAIA school and then an NCAA D3 school. That meant they still had scholarship players, while we didn’t. Eight or 10 of their players were on scholarship.

Ward: Murdoch was always a great motivator. He certainly got us up for that game.

The team got Murdoch’s message loud and clear as they defeated Michigan-Dearborn, 5-3. In that championship game, the team was led by forward Anfu Wang, who netted a hat trick.

Ward: [Wang] could flat out rip it. I mean, he was such a powerful skater and had one of the most accurate shots I have ever seen. He certainly led the charge in that tournament and in that game.

It was a closer game than the score showed. It was 5-3 with an empty net [goal]. So, it was a really tight game. On paper we were the underdog that game.

Even though it was a closer game than what it seemed, the program finally overcame its previous struggles in the national championship (it had lost three other times before that) to claim its first ACHA Division I national title.

Murdoch: I still remember guys singing getting on the bus to head home. And I swear, they sang for a good eight to 10 hours on the ride home.

They were setting up a parade in Ames because we won the National Championship. We get to the World’s Largest Truck Stop, pull in there and the bus driver tells me the engine blew. But he told me there was another a bus on the way. So, I call to tell people we were going to be three to four hours behind schedule. It was snowing and icy that day. So, by the time we arrived back to our home arena, we weren’t using cell phones a lot back in those days, so it was impossible to gather everyone up again, but we were greeted by our loyal fans.

An end of an era

Al Murdoch came to Iowa State in 1969 to work on his master’s degree. He only expected to stay in Ames for a few years before heading back home to Neepawa, Manitoba. However, those few years turned into 43 and 1,070 wins.

Murdoch: The students would love if we won Friday and Saturday. If we did, I would go right in front of the band, take off my coat and swing it over my head. Then I would high five the kids and Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” would play over the sound system.

The last time Murdoch would swing his coat over his head to the beat of “You Can Call Me Al” was after Cyclone Hockey swept No. 2 Minot State in a two-game series because during the following week on Nov. 19, 2013, he retired from coaching. Murdoch announced his retirement then because he wanted to go out on top and he wanted to make sure he had time to spend with his family when he was healthy.

Former Cyclone Hockey defenseman and assistant coach Brandon Clark: I was surprised because he was a part of the program for 40 years. He is kind of the glue of the program. He kept all of the alumni together. He kept up the advertising and stuff like that because he was there for so long. It was a bummer because I played for him for four years and I coached with him.

Although Murdoch’s retirement came in like a player checking an opposing player into the boards, former players had nothing but good things to say about him.

Ward: Al obviously started the program. I think he taught a lot of the guys there a lot more than just hockey. He taught them life skills.

Clark: Playing for Al, it was really interesting. He is kind of an old-school coach. He demanded a lot from his players. He was a no nonsense, no excuse person. But at the end of the day, I always knew he cared about me. He wanted me to be the best I can be, not only on the ice, but in life.

A beginning of a new one

After Murdoch retired midway through the 2014 season, Jason Fairman was named the interim head coach and general manager of the program. Fairman guided the team to the quarterfinals of the ACHA national tournament and a final record of 36-10-4-0 record. With that success, the interim tag was removed from Fairman’s title as he is now in his fourth season as the head man of Cyclone Hockey.

Current Cyclone Hockey defenseman, Kody Reuter: He is very detail oriented. When he tells us that he wants something done a certain way, he definitely expects us to follow through with that. I think that is something we pay attention too, as players, just focus on the little things, focus on the details.

Clark: I haven’t been involved with the program for almost three years. But what I hear from the players is that there are a lot of positive changes going on. As far as on ice, he has led them to a few good years. He led them to a national championship berth. But what I hear from players, they are enjoying [playing for Fairman].

Throughout Fairman’s four seasons as head coach, the program has consistently improved. And during the 2015-16 season, Cyclone Hockey made it to the national championship game, only to lose a heartbreaker at the hands of Lindenwood.

Although there is no telling when the program will appear in, or win its next national championship, one thing is for certain: players and coaches alike will strive to ensure winning stays a way of life for Cyclone Hockey.

Reuter: We have been around for 50 years now. The program has always been successful. So, we definitely try to focus on keeping that tradition going. Winning as much as we can and hopefully win some more championships.