“In spite of the outcome of the weekend, we were trying to learn how valuable it is to just look at the game in small bits and focus on the process,” head coach Tom Anastos said. “If you just sit there and wait for the result, you’re going to lose. You have to focus on every step that helps get you to that result.”

Minnesota kicked off the 2012-13 season-opening period with three goals right off the bat in the first period, and it proved too much of a deficit for the Spartans to overcome.

MSU lost that game 5-1.

The following night followed a similar storyline, but Minnesota netted two more goals than Friday night, tallying up seven goals versus MSU’s one.

Anastos said his team didn’t handle its speed well through the neutral zone into the defensive end, and did not do an effective job of backchecking.

When looking back on the weekend, senior defenseman and alternative captain Matt Grassi called it an experience — just not a good one.

But with it being so early in the season, he and the rest of the team find it too early to let their heads hang.

“Obviously, Minnesota is going to be one of the top teams in the country this year,” Grassi said. “They’re going to be competing for a national championship come the end of the season, and that’s where we want to be. We want to be able to skate with them and be right where they’re at right now. We definitely have some work to do, but there’s nowhere but up from here.”

He added the biggest positive from the game was seeing where the Spartans stacked up against a national contender, giving him a hands-on idea of what MSU needs to look like in a few months.

Senior forward Chris Forfar agreed that the series gave him a pretty clear picture of the areas of improvement the team needs to focus on.

“We need to be more relentless on the puck,” Forfar said. “Seeing some video, you think you’re working hard. You have this picture in your head that you’re working hard, but when you watch the video back, you can see that there’s always a little more you can do, a little more you can give.”

Despite Minnesota offering two tough losses, Anastos said the team needs to move forward, but he’s proud of the way his players handled the series.

“I like the approach the guys took,” he said. “I didn’t see guys hanging their heads or getting discouraged, and we’re not going to allow that to happen.”