Cyclone Hockey coach Jason Fairman said after last night’s 7-3 loss to No. 1 Minot State that his players expected a sweep. 

It was a high expectation seeing that Minot State hadn’t suffered a regular season loss this season and has held the top spot in the American Collegiate Hockey Association rankings for the final eight weeks of 2015.

Cyclone Hockey didn’t end the weekend with a sweep, but the team did do something no team in the ACHA has done all season in handing Minot State its first regulation loss of the season.

The first period nearly ended in a scoreless tie until Lyndon Lipinski opened up the scoring at the 18:13 mark off an assist from Jeremy Johnson.

Just like in the first game of the series, the Cyclones responded against the Beavers opening goal, only this time the response only took 15 seconds.

The Aaron Azevedo goal off assists from Tony Uglem and Colton Kramer began the trio’s big night.

The Beavers regained the lead on a power-play goal with less than 30 seconds left in the opening period, but that would be the end of the scoring for the ACHA’s top team for the next 40 minutes.

The second period would prove to be one of the best the Cyclones have played all season.

Uglem found the back of the net on a power-play goal at 11:37 on assists from Azevedo and Kramer to tie the game at two goals apiece.

Then Kramer went back-to-back on goals in the second period, both off feeds from Azevedo, to give the Cyclones a 4-2 lead that they would never look back from.

The Beavers added a late goal but it was too little too late.

After splitting the first series back from winter break, Cyclone Hockey will be back at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena next weekend for its second series meeting with Illinois starting Friday night at 7:30 p.m.