Lansing Sun

The 1977-78 Michigan State University hockey team, led by Head Coach Amo Bessone, concluded their season with an overall record of 7 wins, 27 losses, and 2 ties. Within the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), they achieved a conference record of 7-23-2, placing them in tenth position.

Throughout the season, the team faced various opponents in both exhibition and official matches. The Spartans began their campaign on October 15 against Michigan in an exhibition game, where they suffered a loss with a score of 4-7. Following this match, they encountered Toronto twice on October 21 and October 22 but were defeated both times with scores of 1-3 and an overtime loss of 3-4.

Their first victory came on October 28 against North Dakota with a final score of 5-3. Despite this win, the subsequent game against North Dakota on October 29 resulted in a loss for Michigan State at 4-8.

As the season progressed, the team managed to secure victories over several teams including Minnesota (on November 5), Michigan (on November 12), Michigan Tech (on November 18), Minnesota-Duluth (on January 7), North Dakota (on February 11), and Notre Dame (on February 25). However, these wins were interspersed among numerous defeats which ultimately affected their standings.

Throughout their games from December to March, the Spartans competed against other notable college teams such as Wisconsin, Boston University, Colorado College, Denver, and Notre Dame. Their performance was varied across these encounters.

Coach Bessone's squad included players like John Steikel, Tim McDonald, Mark DeCenzo among others across three rows with assistant coaches Alex Terpay and Bill Sipola supporting him. Equipment Manager Don Smith also played a crucial role within the team framework.

Despite ending their season without significant accolades or rankings improvements after WMPL rankings began on October 31st that year; this roster remains part of Michigan State University's rich athletic history.