The Minnesota women’s hockey team will have to work through more coaching changes next season, as both assistant coaches will be new to the program.

Last week, assistant coach Laura Slominski decided to leave the Gophers to become the women’s head coach at Edina High School.

Slominski’s announcement came just more than a month after head coach Brad Frost named Jamie Wood assistant coach. It also came less than a year after Frost took over the head coaching position after Laura Halldorson resigned.

“The timing wasn’t great, but it was something I felt I had to do,” Slominski said.

Frost will be able to keep the team successful, she said.

Long term, Slominski said she wanted to be back at the high school and in the math room, teaching.

Edina had an opening, and the former Gophers hockey standout thought it was a great opportunity. She will take over as head coach this fall, and will teach at Valley View Middle School in Edina.

Frost said it’s a big loss for the team, as Slominski was a “tremendous” coach, but he is confident they will find a suitable replacement. The University will now start looking for a third coach to join Frost and Wood.

One asset Slominski brought to the team was the fact that she was a former Gophers captain.

She played forward from 1998 to 2002, and helped the team win the national championship in 2000.

Slominski had been an assistant coach for the Gophers since the 2006-07 season. She came after one year coaching at St. Cloud State.

She coached forwards and helped with the power-play and penalty kill while with the Gophers.

Another important position Slominski’s departure leaves open is the recruiting coordinator role, which the new coach will have to fill.

“That’s one of the strengths I brought to the program, having played there and experienced what the team is,” Slominski said.