It wasn't the way the senior class wanted to go out.

After annihilating Nebraska-Omaha in the CCHA Super Six quarterfinals Thursday to extend a season-high win streak to six, the MSU hockey team closed the season with two straight losses.

The Spartans lost to Ohio State in the semifinals and then to Alaska-Fairbanks in the third-place game.

The Ohio State loss was a tough one to take. After battling back to tie the game at one goal at the end of the first period, the Spartans surrendered three unanswered goals to the Buckeyes and fell 4-1.

"It was a big blow," senior captain Jim Slater said. "I thought we played good."

A possible at-large NCAA Tournament berth was still on the table as MSU faced Alaska-Fairbanks in the Super Six third-place game on Saturday. But the Spartans ran into Nanooks goaltender Wylie Rogers and were once again haunted by the brilliance of the man between the pipes.

"We still thought if we won this game, we'd still have a shot to get into the tournament," Slater said.

"I thought we played good, we got some good shots on net, but their goalie played good."

Rogers was named to the All-Tournament Team for his weekend performances against Northern Michigan, Michigan and the 36 saves he made in his season finale, the 3-2 win against MSU.

"I thought Rogers was outstanding as he was (Friday)," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "We just couldn't get the puck in the net at a critical time."

In the Spartans' final two losses, they were unable to score a power-play goal, going 0-for-14 with the man advantage.

"The big thing is we didn't get shots from the point like we usually do," Slater said. "I just don't think we got the shots from the point to get it done."

Comley said scoring a power-play goal against Ohio State, the conference leader in penalty minutes, is mandatory.

"If they get the lead, if they get a two-goal lead, it's going to be tough," Comley said.

Even with sophomore forward Drew Miller and senior forward Mike Lalonde out of the lineup because of injury on Saturday, the Spartans still were able to generate a sufficient amount of offense. But the team only mustered two pucks into the net, summing up the frustration that MSU has endured all season long.

The Spartans end the season with an overall record of 20-17-4, a record disappointing to the program because of the expectations that were put on the team at the start of the season.

MSU will lose seven players this offseason and after being officially eliminated from national contention during Sunday's selection show, will wait until October to play again.