However, as the game progressed, those emotions of excitement and confidence turned into concern.

Toward the beginning of the game, civil engineering junior Zach Noble spoke on the hockey team's success this season, with hope that they would pull off another staple win for the community.

“It's been a great year so far,” Noble said. “We’re obviously in a good spot right now playing for a Frozen Four. I have trust in (Trey) Augustine and the team and (Adam) Nightingale will lead us there.”

Following last night’s men's basketball loss to UConn in the Sweet Sixteen, many fans were looking forward to a possible victory over Wisconsin’s powerhouse team.

“It'd be awesome to be back there,” Noble said, referring to the possibility of MSU returning to the Frozen Four. “I think it'll help out hockey in general here at MSU and get more people involved.”

During the second quarter of the game, comparative cultures and politics senior Sabrina Tariq said the feeling of celebrating a win and returning to the Frozen Four would be “monumental," giving fans something to look forward to.

“It would be so amazing to just experience it here. It's different if you're watching it at home. It's another thing when you're in East Lansing and in Michigan State. It's electric. Bars are gonna be crazy. Lines are gonna be wild,” Tariq said.

As the third quarter rolled in, so did Wisconsin's ability to control its destiny in the game. At one point scoring back-to-back goals, Wisconsin fought it out with the Spartans until the end of regulation, bringing the game into overtime.

With the Spartans up 3-1 in the third quarter, it seemed like they were bound to finish with a win. Unfortunately for fans watching, the overtime period ended as quickly as it started, with the Badgers scoring one more goal to solidify their advancement in the NCAA men’s hockey tournament.

Shortly after the final whistle was blown, some fans made their way to the exits, contemplating the Spartans' performance and trying to process what had happened.

With the season coming to an abrupt end and confidence in a team many cheered on throughout the evening and year dimmed, the team will start over, learn from tonight and try to continue improving on what defines the program.