It looked like Wisconsin men’s hockey team was heading in the right direction after winning its last two games, but against Michigan State Saturday night the Badgers seemed to make a detour.

After defeating the Spartans the previous night, Wisconsin (4-20-4, 2-10-2-2 Big Ten) was no match for Michigan State (13-12-2, 7-5-2-2) the second time around at the Kohl Center as the Spartans put the Badgers’ two game winning streak to a halt with a 3-0 shutout.

After the game, Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said Michigan State simply out-worked them, and seemed determined to avenge their Friday night defeat.

“They battled more than we did,” Eaves said. “Give kudos to them, they came back with a fire in their belly.”

Eaves was also unhappy with the way his skill players played in the series’ second tilt, saying he was disappointed with how they responded when put under pressure by Michigan State.

The Badgers had no answer for Michigan State’s Ryan Keller in the first period. Eight minutes into the game, Keller put the Spartans up one with a rebound score. About five minutes later, Keller doubled down on his goal total by making a beautiful spin move right in front of the net, and then flicking a backhand shot with his back to the goal that snuck through Wisconsin goaltender Joel Rumpel’s legs.

Five minutes into the second the period, Wisconsin forward Joseph LaBate hit the crossbar. That was as close as the Badgers would come to getting on the board in the second 20 minutes. Despite having a couple power play opportunities, Wisconsin was unable to crack the Spartan defense, as the score remained 2-0 in MSU’s favor heading into the third period.

Wisconsin got a pair of chances on the power play in the final period, with one almost immediately out of the gate to open the frame. But as was the case throughout the night, the Badgers failed to convert and came up empty-handed on all five opportunities.

LaBate felt lack of execution in big situations was a central issue in Saturday night’s game, which was a contributing factor in the struggling power play.

“We just weren’t able to capitalize on our chances we had,” LaBate said. “I don’t think we had the poise and confidence that we needed tonight.”

After UW failed on its first man advantage of the third period, Michigan State’s Thomas Ebbing tacked on a third goal for the Spartans five minutes in that silenced the Kohl Center crowd and effectively put the game to rest.

Wisconsin’s next chance to get back on track will come next week when they hit the road to take on Michigan in a two-game series.