Assistant coach Dave McAuliffe will be back with the Spartan hockey team next season, after being passed over for the vacant Northern Michigan head coaching job.

McAuliffe, 36, was one of three finalists for the Wildcat position, but the school ultimately chose former Northern player and assistant coach Walt Kyle to succeed Rick Comley. Comley had been Northern’s coach for 26 years until he took over the MSU program in March.

“I’d say I was disappointed,” McAuliffe said. “I thought I did a good job at the interview up there, but as with any job, you get some and you don’t get some.”

Kyle was an assistant with the New York Rangers last season. He beat out McAuliffe and current Northern assistant Dave Shyiak for the job.

“I was kind of the unknown guy up there because they had two other guys with ties to Northern Michigan,” McAuliffe said. “But according to their athletics director (Dan Spielmann), when I left, the people there were pretty impressed with my program and my plans.

“It’s just unfortunate the timing didn’t work out.”

With the Northern courtship behind him, McAuliffe is set to spend an 11th season as an MSU assistant. He and fellow assistant Tom Newton have one more guaranteed year with the Spartans, with the possibility of Comley retaining them for longer. Newton flirted with the Bowling Green coaching vacancy a couple months ago, but was not a final candidate.

McAuliffe said it will be “great” to face Northern next year.

“I was always excited about the possibility of becoming a head coach, but at the same time, I was sad about the possibility of leaving this place,” McAuliffe said. “I’m turning the gears back to Michigan State and I’m really looking forward to what Rick’s trying to do here.”