Former Minnesota-Duluth head coach Mike Sertich will replace Tim Watters as head coach of Michigan Tech, effectively immediately.
Sertich made the announcement himself this morning during a show he hosts on WDSM 710 AM in Duluth. He had been hosting the show for three weeks.
Watters, a 1981 graduate of Michigan Tech and 14-year NHL veteran, has coached the Huskies since the 1996-97 season, going 39-116-9 (.265), including a 1-7-1 record this season. He has averaged 6.5 league wins per year over the four full seasons at the helm. Last year’s 4-34 mark set an NCAA record for most losses in a season.
He agreed to step down as coach after meeting with school athletics director Rick Yeo.
“We’re most appreciative of all the efforts put forth by Tim,” Yeo said. “Tim is a good man, and unfortunately things just didn’t work out the way either of us had hoped.”
Sertich, 52, resigned as coach at Duluth at the end of last season. He was 335-306-44 at UMD over 18 seasons, including a loss to Bowling Green in the 1984 NCAA championship game and a Frozen Four appearance the next season. The Bulldogs, however, went 22-49-4 in his last two seasons, and Sertich said it was time for a change.
Sertich will get a chance to return to his old stomping grounds immediately; the Huskies are scheduled to play in Duluth this Friday and Saturday.
“We’re very fortunate to have Mike Sertich step in,” Yeo said. “Mike is a first-class guy who has a lot to offer.”
Huskies assistant coaches Marc Boxer and Peter Wilkinson will remain with the team. Sertich will finish the season as interim coach while a national search for a permanent replacement is conducted.
