The last time the Ohio State men’s ice hockey team faced Michigan State, the Buckeyes swept the Spartans on the ice in East Lansing. This weekend, the Spartans came looking for revenge.

Mission accomplished. After being defeated by the visiting Michigan State Spartans this weekend, the Buckeyes are left shaking their heads and wondering where their season is headed.

“We’re disappointed that we lost four points,” Buckeye coach John Markell said. “It is gut-wrenching.”

The Buckeyes dropped consecutive games to MSU by scores of 4-2 and 3-0. The loss Friday night ended a six-game unbeaten streak by OSU against the Spartans.

The best chance for a Buckeye victory came Friday night. Senior forward Chris Olsgard got OSU off to an early lead, but the Spartans countered with three goals. Down by two, the Buckeyes pulled sophomore goalie Dave Caruso in favor of an extra skater. OSU sophomore forward Rod Pelley scored with 1:38 left in the game to pull the team within one.

Senior forward Dave Steckel had one more opportunity in the waning seconds of the game to tie it, but his shot clanged off the post. MSU then scored an open-net goal, and OSU was finished.

“We were able to get a crossbar when we needed it,” Spartan coach Rick Comley said of Steckel’s missed opportunity.

Attempting to salvage a split in the series, the Buckeyes were promptly blanked Saturday night. Spartan goalie Matt Migliaccio stopped all 28 shots he faced en route to the shutout. Senior Buckeye goalie Mike Betz made 22 saves on 25 shots. The Buckeyes managed 72 shots on goal in the two games, but could only come away with two goals.

“Both nights we had enough scoring chances,” said JB Bittner, the junior captain. “Their goalie made some good saves.”

With the sweep, the Spartans move up to a tie for second place in the CCHA. The Buckeyes, who were one point out of first heading into the weekend, fall to a tie for fifth-place. OSU is four points behind conference-leader Miami, with whom the Buckeyes close the season.

A constant source of concern for OSU is the performance of its power play unit. The Buckeyes were 0 for 7 on the weekend, dropping their scoring percentage with a man advantage to a dismal .126. The team is also seventh in the league in scoring.

“Sometimes you just need a bounce,” Markell said. “We have to get at it in practice and build our confidence. There are no excuses.”

Despite the losses, the Buckeyes are keeping their heads up and looking for revenge. The road ahead is not easy for OSU – six of its final nine games come on the road.

“We are headed down the right direction,” Bittner said. “We played well and worked hard.”

The team’s next game is on the road against Bowling Green State University Saturday.