MSU traveled to its first road series of the season undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation.
But any sense of Spartan invincibility was shattered by No. 12 Nebraska-Omaha, which beat the Spartans 4-3 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
MSU outshot the Mavericks (5-1-0 overall, 2-0-0 CCHA) both games, but Omaha used two late goals to stun MSU in the series opener and then needed only 18 shots to swamp the Spartans on Saturday.
It’s the first time MSU (3-2-1, 3-2-1) has been swept in a series since Nov. 1999 at Miami.
“I wanted to get points out of (Omaha) and I thought we would,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said Sunday. “We should have gotten them the first night - we came back to take the lead and those are the games we usually win.”
MSU lost back-to-back games once last season - a 4-3 overtime loss to Michigan on Jan. 27 followed by a 3-2 loss at Northern Michigan on Feb. 2.
Mason said he hopes his team regroups and refocuses after the sweep, something the Spartans needed to do anyway.
“I’ve been saying all along we have to improve,” Mason said. “We’re not the same team we were last year. I hope this will wake up some of the guys if they needed that.
“I think our lack of experience and strength showed this weekend.”
Friday night’s loss was especially demoralizing, considering how close MSU came to stealing a victory.
The Spartans fell behind 2-0 in the first period, but goals from freshman left wing Mike Lalonde and freshman defenseman Duncan Keith knotted the game at 2-2 early in the third.
Junior left wing Brian Maloney then put MSU up 3-2 with 3:33 to play with his second goal of the season, but junior goaltender Ryan Miller and the vaunted Spartan defense couldn’t seal the victory.
Maverick forward Gus Groslie tied the game with 2:44 to play and forward Shane Glover notched the game-winner, his second tally of the contest, with 1:08 left on the clock.
“I thought we played very hard and didn’t get anything for it,” Mason said. “They got the goals and we didn’t.
“That first win gave them a lot of momentum going into the second night.”
The Mavericks used the confidence boost to storm to a 4-0 lead Saturday night before MSU junior defenseman Brad Fast finally beat Omaha goaltender Dan Ellis 11:17 into the third period.
The Spartans outshot the Mavericks 31-18, but Ellis negated the Spartan rush and the MSU power play, which went 0-for-7.
“It was frustrating being on the power play and not being able to convert and get us back in the game,” Liles said. “(The series) taught us we’re not invincible and, in the long run, that will make us better.”
Miller was replaced by freshman goalie Matt Migliaccio after Omaha’s fourth goal with 12:09 to play Saturday night. Migliaccio allowed one goal and made one save in his collegiate debut.
Miller was last pulled late in MSU’s physical 5-1 win against Wisconsin in the NCAA West Regional final on March 25 with the game all but over. He stopped 27 shots Friday and 12 on Saturday, while Ellis made 31 saves Friday and 30 on Saturday.
“We kind of hung Ryan out to dry,” Liles said. “We gave up a lot of Grade A chances and weren’t very tough around the crease or in the slot.”
Injury update: Freshman center Lee Falardeau sat out of Saturday’s game with a mild concussion, Mason said. Junior right wing Kris Koski replaced him in the lineup.
