Beloved hockey coach, Sertich, passes away at 77

The hockey community mourns the loss of coach Mike “Sertie” Sertich, who passed away at age 77 last Thursday, following his battle with Pancreatic Cancer.

Sertich, an Iron Range native, played football, baseball and hockey at Virginia High School before playing on the blueline at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he will forever be a beloved Bulldog.

Sertich was best known for his 18 years behind the bench at UMD, where he would turn an average hockey program into a perennial contender, beginning with three straight NCAA appearances after taking the helm. He would lead the team to three WCHA regular-season titles, two league postseason championships, four NCAA tournament berths, two Frozen Fours and an appearance in the NCAA championship game in 1984.

He would spend time with Michigan Tech University and the College of St. Scholastica in the latter years of his coaching career.

Sertich would win 350 games for the UMD Bulldogs, second all-time only to his predecessor, Scott Sandelin, who has coached the team since Sertich exited in 2000.

Prior to coaching the Bulldogs, he was an assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Indians who were coached by Gus Hendrickson at the time.

“After playing three seasons at UMD, Sertich joined Grand Rapids High School coach Gus Hendrickson as assistant, and they led the Indians to state prominence,” according to his celebration of life. Sertich was the assistant coach to Hendrickson when Grand Rapids won the state championship in 1975.