Samantha Reber, who served as a University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey assistant coach this past season, has accepted the position of head coach girls hockey at her alma mater, Edina High School.

Said Reber, "From the bottom of my heart, thank you to UMD and its women's hockey program for giving me this amazing opportunity. I have loved every second of my time here and I would have never considered leaving UMD if my dream job as the head coach of my alma mater hadn't presented itself. Every person--from the staff and players to the administration and community--is incredible and has made this one of the best years of my life. 

I am grateful to UMD Athletic Director Josh Berlo for allowing me to be a part of such a spectacular program. Thank you to Maura Crowell and Laura Bellamy for allowing me to embark on this journey with them and for teaching me more this year than I could've ever imagined. It is because of these two that I have grown not only as a coach, but as a person too. I will continue to look up to both of them for the rest of my life. Lastly, thank you to the players who have engraved an incredibly special place in my heart. Words can't explain the extreme impact that they have had on me. 

UMD will always mean the world to me and, no matter where I may be, I am excited to continue to support the school and women's hockey program for many years to come. I will always consider myself a Bulldog."

Reber joined Head Coach Maura Crowell's staff prior to the 2015-16 season and coached the Bulldogs' attack to third in the WCHA in scoring offense, behind only Minnesota and Wisconsin. In addition, she helped the team sweep their way to the WCHA tournament semifinals for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

"I would like to thank Sami for all that she gave to the UMD program this year," said Crowell. "She was a tremendous asset to both the players and staff, and we wish her the best as she leads the girls' hockey program at Edina High School. It is part of my job to prepare assistant coaches for head coaching positions, so I'm proud to see Sami take on this role. She will always have a home in Duluth."

A native of Edina, Reber starred at Harvard University for four years, captaining the Crimson to the NCAA championship game in 2015. A member of Harvard's 100-point club, she amassed 108 points in 134 games on 26 goals and 82 assists. She left Cambridge on the top-10 all-time list for career assists. At Edina High School from 2007-11, she was a four-year letter winner on the hockey team and a three-year member of the Hornets' soccer team. She captained both teams as a senior. In 2009, Reber led Edina to its first state high school tournament in team history.