The MSU hockey team was firing on all pistons Saturday night - and Nebraska-Omaha was left looking like it was hit by a Mack truck.
The Spartans finished off their second straight series sweep by demolishing the visiting Mavericks 7-0 in front of 6,652 fans at Munn Ice Arena.
The Spartans won the series-opener 5-2 on Friday. They have now won five straight games.
MSU sophomore goaltender Matt Migliaccio made 24 saves for his third career shutout Saturday. It was the first time he had blanked a team other than Lake Superior State.
Offensively, the Spartans (13-9-1 overall, 9-6-0 CCHA) got five points from sophomore center Jim Slater and a pair of goals by both senior left wing Brian Maloney and freshman left wing David Booth in trumping a depleted bunch of Mavericks (8-13-3, 6-11-1).
Omaha already was missing star defenseman Greg Zanon, who broke his kneecap in December. But on Saturday, the Mavericks also were without forward Andrew Wong - their second-leading scorer - and standout goaltender Dan Ellis. Wong sprained a knee ligament Friday, while Ellis suffered leg cramps after the series-opener.
Replacing Ellis, Brian Haaland was over-matched by the MSU attack. He made 39 saves on 46 shots.
Booth scored first, tipping in a point shot from senior defenseman John-Michael Liles on MSU' s first power play 1:37 into the game.
At 8:15 of the first, Liles got a power-play goal of his own with a point shot that beat Haaland thanks to a screen by Booth.
Sophomore forward Ash Goldie set up MSU' s third goal by carrying the puck into the slot and dropping a pass for sophomore left wing Kevin Estrada. Estrada tallied his second goal in as many nights by chipping a shot from the left circle high, far-side past Haaland.
The Spartans went up 4-0 on a short-handed breakaway goal by Maloney 2:33 into the second. Maloney beat Haaland high from close range.
Maloney got his second of the night - and third of the series - five minutes later. MSU sophomore center Lee Falardeau cleared out three Omaha defenders, allowing Maloney to skate free through the slot. There, he beat Haaland on the stick-side with a wrister.
Slater, who already had three assists, notched a goal of his own at 16:46, when he skated in on a breakaway and flicked a shot over the goalie. Slater leads MSU with 28 points.
Booth put the Spartans up 7-0 about seven minutes into the third. He capped off a 2-on-1 with sophomore right wing Mike Lalonde by taking a shot that hit off Haaland, popped into the air and trickled across the goal line. Slater also assisted on the play, giving him his fifth point of the night.
Booth has a team-leading 14 goals this season.
MSU' s seven-goal output Saturday tied its season-high mark. The Spartans also scored seven against Lake Superior on Oct. 24.
In a scary moment Saturday, Migliaccio was leveled by Omaha right wing Gus Groslie after the Maverick released a shot while driving to the net midway through the third period. Migliaccio laid in his crease for a couple minutes, but ultimately stayed in the game and completed his shutout.
Groslie was given a five-minute major penalty and a 10-minute misconduct on the play.
Omaha' s best chances to score came in the first period. First, left wing John Thomas hit the left post with a snap shot from the right circle. Then Maverick right wing Micah Tanner beat an out-of-position Migliaccio off a rebound, but MSU freshman defenseman Corey Potter stopped the puck and cleared it out of the crease.
MSU went 2-for-6 on the power play Saturday, while the Mavericks went 0-for-5.
The Spartans moved into a four-way tie for fourth place in the CCHA with the sweep. The Spartans' next action is a road series at Notre Dame on Jan. 24-25.
Personnel: MSU dressed the same 23 players for the fourth consecutive game. Every forward line and defensive pairing was the same as Friday.
