Mankato, Minn. --- Eric Means, head coach of the Minnesota State University, Mankato women's hockey team, has announced that he is resigning at the end of his current contract at the end of May.

"I would like to thank Minnesota State for allowing me to serve as head coach of the Maverick women's hockey program the last six years," said Means. "It was a privilege to work with some outstanding student-athletes during my time in charge of the program and I owe a debt of gratitude to my assistant coaches Shari Vogt Dickerman and Brett Bruininks, along with University and athletic department staff members who have helped us in trying to move the program forward."

In his six seasons behind the Minnesota State bench,  Means guided the Mavericks to a 48-161-16 (.260) overall record. He led his team to 13 wins in 2013-14, which ranks as the fourth-most wins in a season by any MSU women's hockey team. A native of Rochester, Minn., and a former assistant with Minnesota State men's hockey program, Means had two All-WCHA selections during his tenure, along with 61 Academic All-WCHA and 40 WCHA Scholar-Athletes.

"This business is hard when the result is losing people in your program like Eric Means," said Kevin Buisman, Minnesota State's Director of Athletics.  "Eric was as dedicated, hard working, and loyal as they come and he poured his heart into Maverick Women's Hockey. We wish him all the best in his future professional endeavors."

"We look forward to a national search process that we hope will identify new leadership that will help us compete more effectively in what is arguably the most challenging women's league in the country," said Buisman. "We are optimistic that the upcoming move to the Verizon Wireless Center will help jump start and revitalize Maverick Women's Hockey in what we believe can be an exciting new future for the program."