Maria Lewis is in her sixth season with the women's ice hockey program and her first as associate head coach.

Prior to coaching at Mercyhurst, Lewis was an assistant coach at the University of Maine, formerly of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and now of Hockey East. She has been a private skating and hockey instructor and has worked with players and teams from novice through advanced.

In 2004, Lewis was co-head coach at the 17/18 USA Select Festival in Lake Placid, NY. She was also co-head coach at the 14/15 USA National Development Camp in Rochester, NY, the previous summer. Her teams finished first and second, respectively.

She has also coached USA Development Camps and try-outs for the New York, Michigan, and Mid-American Districts and previously evaluated for the New York District Lake Placid selection try-out.

In addition to her contributions to USA Hockey, she has also coached at numerous camps and clinics throughout New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Alaska.

Lewis earned a master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercyhurst College and received a bachelor's degree in Business Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Her thesis was titled: "Female Collegiate Ice Hockey Players' Preferences for Coaching Leadership Styles". A total of 25 Division I and Division III hockey programs participated in the study that measured various factors influencing today's female players.

During her collegiate playing days, Lewis was a forward and served as the alternate captain for two seasons at RIT. She won ECAC Rookie of the Year honors, was named to the ECAC All Star team in 1996, and was chosen Player of the Week on numerous occasions. She ended her career as the second leading scorer all-time for the Tigers. Lewis has had some playing experience internationally as well.