Sitting inside a hastily acquired hotel room not far from the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Sean Duddy and his Ohio State hockey teammates had to wonder how things could get much worse.

After closing 2011 with the nation’s best winning percentage and a 14-4-1 record, the Buckeyes came out of a series last weekend against Lake Superior State with just one point after being shut out and losing in a shootout. The results moved the Buckeyes’ streak of winless games to eight and left them still seeking their first win of the year.

Now if only they could get back to Columbus.

“It was the bus trip from hell,” coach Mark Osiecki said. “We took a sleeper bus and the driver got sick, and we ran into some snow and didn’t get back until Sunday night.”

The unscheduled stop happened about 90 minutes into a trip that takes at least 81/2 hours. Duddy, a senior captain, said the team disembarked at a hotel in Gaylord, Mich., at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

It was a fitting way to end a difficult month for Ohio State, which emerged as one of the nation’s biggest surprises during the first half of the season. Since a neutral-site win on Dec. 30 over Robert Morris, the Buckeyes have slipped in every major statistical category while relinquishing its grip on first place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Their scoring average has dropped from 3.32 goals to 2.85 (30th nationally), and opponents have increased their scoring average from 2.11 to 2.33 goals to set Ohio State’s defense at No. 11 in the nation. In the Division I national poll, compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online, the Buckeyes have slipped from a season-best second in December to sixth last week and 10th this week.

Osiecki said the eight-game stretch has not been as bad as the statistics indicate.

“In four of our last six games, we’ve played extremely well,” said Osiecki, whose team plays Michigan State on Friday and Saturday at Value City Arena. “Unfortunately, you come away with not much to show for it. Sometimes it just doesn’t fall your way. You don’t know why, and you can’t answer that question.”

The task during practice this week has been to keep the team’s enthusiasm up, a challenge made easier with 12 freshmen and six true sophomores on the roster.

“We knew we wanted to come in and turn things around and make a difference,” said freshman Max McCormick, who had a hat trick in the shootout loss on Saturday. “I think you can see excitement in practice, and I think we’re ready for this weekend.”

Four of Ohio State’s past eight games have been shootout losses. As a result, the Buckeyes (14-8-5, 10-7-5-1, 36 points) earned four points during the stretch and enter the series against the Spartans (13-11-4, 8-9-3-2, 29 points) in a three-way tie for second place in the CCHA, one point behind Ferris State.

“You have to stay positive, especially this time of year with a young team,” Duddy said. “I thought we played well against Lake Superior State. It’s just one or two things that make the difference. I think we’re starting to find that out. It’s like playoff hockey every weekend.”

ajardy@dispatch.com