And that particular day it did, as the Spartans went on to shut out then-No. 1 Michigan on enemy ice.

However, it doesn’t matter to Newton if the change is face up or face down.

“Just gotta find it,” he said.

Newton, in his 18th season at MSU, is the constant bridge that spans the Ron Mason and Rick Comley eras.

For nearly two decades, Newton has helped guide Spartans hockey players, teaching them more about the game and transforming some into professional athletes.

He recruits players and is directly involved in the program’s daily operations.

While hockey’s rules and regulations might have changed slightly since his transition from collegiate player to coach, Newton says the MSU program has stuck to the basics.

“The ingredients, the pillars, (the) philosophy of the program have not changed that much since the day I got here,” Newton said.

“The huge team philosophy is the team is No. 1, that you always represent the team in a positive way whether you’re on the ice, in the classroom or in the community. You must be a disciplined individual to be part of this team. That’s the basis of this program.”

As he spins a water bottle on a table in the MSU hockey office conference room, Newton is humble in taking partial credit for others’ successes.

That mentality has earned him many accolades, including the 2007 national championship.

“When it finally happens you just go, ‘Whoa,’” he said.

“The biggest thing I learned in the whole (championship) is you never know when it’s your turn. A lot of times I thought it was our turn. And last year, I really didn’t think it was going to be our turn.

“We just played one game at a time and we played as a team, and it just worked out for us. You just keep on playing. If the hockey gods see it in your way then you get the hardware at the end.”

He’s got game

Players say Newton’s extensive knowledge about the game and the university in general have helped them advance their athletic skills and prepare for life outside the bubble that is MSU hockey.

“It’s been good tutelage under him,” junior defenseman Brandon Gentile said. “He knows the in and outs of campus — intricate things like that. It’s really helpful.”

Mason, MSU’s former athletics director and head hockey coach, said Newton has helped build the team into a top national program “until somebody knocks us off.”

“He always had that sense of wanting to know more about the game,” said Mason, who coached Newton and his brothers at Bowling Green. “I thought maybe someday he would be a coach.

“He had experience in the league, he was a good recruiter, and he understood the game really well.”

Mason, who has known Newton since the early 1970s, said watching him switch from playing to coaching was gratifying.

“Through the early stages, I think Tom was a critical piece of it all,” Mason said.

“I think that made the bridge in the transition a lot easier.”

Senior captain Bryan Lerg said he trusts Newton to make him a better player.

“He’s the type of coach, if I have to ask about my play, he’s the one I go to,” Lerg said.

“He knows what he’s talking about.”

Although that might hold true by hockey standards, when it comes to remembering names, senior forward Zak McClellan begs to differ.

What’s in a name?

A few years ago, the team was heading to Nebraska for a game and the flight was taking off from Detroit.

“We got to Detroit and there wasn’t a plane ticket there for me,” McClellan said. “There was a plane ticket there for all the guys, but there wasn’t one there for me, which was weird.”

It was about to get weirder.

“So they ended up buying another ticket for me (on) a later flight,” he said. “Then the whole team left and I was sitting there by myself, and then (Newton) called me and he goes, ‘Your plane leaves in 10 minutes.’

“I wasn’t even through security yet. It was at the way other end … so I had to sprint through the airport. So I made it and we got to Nebraska and we checked into the hotel.”

But McClellan’s difficulties were not about to end there.

“There wasn’t a room for me,” McClellan said.

“It was under another guy’s name who didn’t even make the trip. So I was talking to the desk, and the guy goes, ‘Yeah, there’s a room here for Zeke McCleeland.’ So (Newton) messed up not only my first name, which is three letters, but he messed up my last name completely. He still actually spells it with a D. He can’t seem to knock that D off the end.”

Going pro

Newton has helped turn collegiate skaters into professional hockey players. John-Michael Liles of the Colorado Avalanche, Mike York of the Phoenix Coyotes and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres all played for him.

But those aren’t the only successes he counts.

“To me, I get just as much of a bang out of a former player becoming a doctor or a surgeon,” Newton said.

“The guys who go on and play pro, that’s awesome. I truly respect what they’ve done and what they go through. Especially the guys that grind out a career year after year that’s a tough way to make a living. My hat really goes off to them. I know how hard they work. It isn’t as glamorous as it looks sometimes.”