Anastos picked up his first NCAA DI coaching victory with Michigan State in the second game of the 2012 Icebreaker tournament with a 3-2 overtime win over Air Force . The Spartans finished the 2011-12 season ranked 5th in the CCHA standings and received a first round bye in the CCHA Tournament . The Spartans faced fourth-seeded Miami ( OH ) in the second round , in the best-of-three series Michigan State was swept 0-6 and 1-4 in two games . Despite being swept by Miami , the Spartans finished 15th in the Pairwise rankings and became the final at-large bid selected for the 2012 NCAA Tournament . The bid marked the team 's first appearance in the NCAA post-season since 2008 , the team was placed in the East Region held at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport , Connecticut . In the game , Union College took an early lead and held the Spartans to a single goal in a 3-1 win over Michigan State in the East Regional semifinal . The game was the first meeting between the two programs and also the first win in the NCAA Division I national tournament for the Dutchmen
CCHA Tournament
2012 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey