The Cyclone Hockey team suffered a sweep at the hands of Illinois over the weekend at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena. The Cyclones lost the first game 4-1 and the second 3-0. 

Here are three takeaways from the series: 

1. Cyclones must overcome lackluster production moving forward

Through six periods of hockey this weekend, the Cyclones racked up 97 shots on Illinois goaltender David Heflin.

And in the end, the Cyclones were outscored 7-1.

The inability to get pucks past the Fighting Illini was Cyclone Hockey’s biggest problem and handed the team its second and third straight losses.

It is also the hardest thing to overcome mentally and physically. The effort the Cyclones exerted in order to generate the surplus of offensive opportunities and to dominate puck possession is noteworthy.

But not getting the result can be frustrating and discouraging moving forward.

“It starts with practice and getting pucks on net and getting into good habits about going to the net hard,” defenseman Jake Uglem said. “We just need to score more goals. It’s tough, it’s hockey.”

The Cyclones’ offensive woes were also a credit to Heflin and the Illinois defense, as rebound opportunities were few and far between.

2. Lack of discipline costs the Cyclones a chance to win

The Cyclone locker room knew what style of play to expect from the Fighting Illini heading into the weekend.

It was crucial for Iowa State to stay disciplined and not let the chippiness affect its game plan.

“Not scoring and getting frustrated out there, and it just kind of builds and builds,” Uglem said. “Guys losing their temper out there and guys get frustrated. And when you’re not scoring, you get frustrated at the game.”

In Friday’s matchup, both teams had an overwhelming amount of penalties, and it was no different Saturday other than the Cyclones taking preventable retaliation penalties.

The series saw 26 penalties between the two teams. 

“They seemed to get under the skin of our players, we get off our game and it leads to a lot of special teams and they got three goals off special teams,” coach Jason Fairman said. “We told the guys before the game not to get sucked into what’s happened when we’ve played them before.”

3. Alex Grupe scores goal in return

Senior forward Alex Grupe made his debut back on the ice after suffering a forearm fracture before the season began.

Grupe scored the only goal over the course of the weekend, and although it didn’t lift the Cyclones to a victory, it made a statement in his return.

“I thought Alex played well,” Fairman said. “It was good to see him get that goal and he did a lot of the small things well so hopefully he can pick up where he left off at the end of last year.”