Tom Anastos Resigns as Hockey Coach at Michigan State

Tom Anastos has resigned as the head coach of the Michigan State hockey program, it was announced Tuesday.

Anastos just concluded his sixth season behind the bench at his alma mater. He went 78-122-24 during that time, leading the Spartans to just one NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season as the head coach in 2011-12.

The 2016-17 season was Michigan State’s worst under Anastos’ watch. The Spartans went 7-24-4, finishing dead last in the six-team Big Ten. MSU’s season ended with a 6-3 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Assistant coach Tom Newton will serve as the interim head coach while the school conducts a national search for Anastos’ replacement.

“I want to thank Tom Anastos for the guidance he’s provided Spartan hockey over the last six seasons. He would be the first to admit that he wished there were more on-ice victories, but he built a program that was a great value to our community. His student-athletes were successful in the classroom and were great representatives of the athletic department and the university as a whole with their commitment to community outreach,” Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis said in a press release.

Anastos, a Dearborn, Mich. native, played at MSU from 1981-1985. He was the commissioner of the CCHA before taking the head coaching position at his alma mater prior to the 2011-12 season.