Melissa Paluch, formally Kraus, was named head coach of the university’s women’s hockey program in May of 2023.

“Melissa did a great job finishing this season, overcoming every hardship that was thrown her way,” said Land, “We are excited to move forward under her leadership. I believe the future of this program is in good hands.”

Paluch was named interim head coach of the Thunder in November of 2022 after serving as associate head coach beginning in August of 2021.

She took the reins after a 0-7 start to the season by the team. She led the program to a 10-10 record over the remainder of the season. Under her guidance the team set new single game offensive benchmarks when they defeated Hilbert College 13-0 which represented new bests for goals, assists (15) and points (28). Sophomore Payton Hans also set new individual marks in two separate performance while junior Grace Hicks did so in one game as well.

Paluch’s leadership also placed Casey Frank on the 2023 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) All-Freshman team.

Before Trine, Paluch was last an assistant women's coach at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Since 2018, Paluch has had a hand in recruiting for the Bears, film analysis, breakdowns with forwards and defensemen, and engagement with alumni and the community. She also served as an assistant coach for her alma mater, Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois, for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

At Lake Forest, Paluch graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and minored in Environmental Studies, while competing on the women's hockey team. She helped lead the Foresters to an NCHA Conference Championship in 2014, two Slaats Cup Championships in 2014 and 2015, and the team was ranked second nationally in 2016. Paluch was the program's first three-year captain, as well as the first athlete to win the Ry McCarthy Award twice in her illustrious career. She sits fifth in Lake Forest's All-Time Career Points list (102) and fourth on the All-Time Assists list (56).