A year ago to this day, Michigan State surprisingly hired then CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos as its new head hockey coach. Expectations were quite low for the program in Anastos' first season, and the Spartans exceeded them quite a bit by making it to the NCAA hockey tournament.
Michigan State was hoping to continue to exceed expectations by making a run in the 2012 NCAA hockey tournament, but the Spartans fell in the opening round to Union by a score of 3-1. This was Union's first ever win in the NCAA hockey tournament as a Division I school.
The real turning point in this game came when a Michigan State goal was disallowed because a Union player bumped into the net and, in the eyes of the officials, dislodged it. The goal would have tied the game 1-1, but because it was waved off, the score remained 1-0 in favor of Union.
Union held a 2-1 lead in the final period. Michigan State cut the lead in half with a goal from Matt Berry with less than a minute left in the second period, and the Spartans came close to tying things up in the third. Union was able to put the nail in Michigan State's coffin at the 18:42 mark. On a power play, Wayne Simpson scored on a two-on-one and made it 3-1. Michigan State couldn't get any closer and that was it for their hopes of making it to the second round of the tournament.
You can check out a full bracket for the NCAA hockey tournament on the NCAA's official website.
For more on the 2012 NCAA hockey tournament, check out SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream.