2026-27 Coaching Staff

Born & raised in Minnesota, Sara played soccer, hockey & lacrosse through high school where she went to state 14 times. She played three years of Division 1 Hockey at Dartmouth college, and started coaching for the youth soccer community in Hanover, NH in her last years of college. Following her college years, she participates in local Adult rec leagues and gives private hockey lessons throughout the year to Steamboat’s youth. This will be Sara’s first year coaching with SSYHA. 

Alexa grew up in the Adirondacks and started playing hockey at age 13. She played Division III hockey at Hamilton College and has been playing adult rec hockey for years. She is a level 5 USA Hockey Coach. Alexa has coached hockey in her home town as an Assistant to the Girls High School team for both Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. Alexa and her husband Rick grew the girls program in Steamboat Springs from one team to four starting in the early 2002. She has coached mites, squirts, girls U10 through U19 and has the first girls U19 AA state championship for Steamboat in 2010. She also plays and coaches on the Panic, a women's mountain league team. 

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Jake first fell in love with hockey as a child going to watch Penguins games with his dad and playing ball hockey in his basement. He began playing organized hockey as a Squirt B player. He finished his youth career playing Midget AAA for the Pittsburgh Jr Penguins, as well as being a 3 year letterman and captain at Fox Chapel High School. During those years, he first became involved in coaching by working at hockey camps in the summers, and also helping as an assistant coach with his High School team his Senior year while he was recovering from a long-term injury. After high school, he took some time off from playing ice hockey, instead playing club inline hockey for the University of Pittsburgh. He also played elite Men’s inline for the Pittsburgh Phantoms and the Scottdale Inferno. After moving to Steamboat, He found his way into coaching again, first as an assistant with the Steamboat Wranglers, and then the following year as an assistant with the Steamboat High School program. He has also served as a Bantam AA Head Coach with the Mountain Select program for the past four seasons.

This will be Jake's fifth year coaching with SSYHA and fifth year as Head Coach of the 14U A team.

Emmett was born and raised in Minnetonka, MN where his love for hockey began. Growing up, he was always at the rink or on the pond/lake in the winter playing hockey. After graduating high school, he attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins where he played Division 3 club hockey. His senior year, he traveled around Europe for 10 days with the Division 3 club hockey all-star team. After graduating college, he then moved back to Minnesota and coached high school hockey. After 3 years of living back in Minnesota, it was time to move back to Colorado where he accepted a position with a real estate developer in Steamboat Springs. His first year in Steamboat Springs, he helped coach the 14U A team to a state championship.

This will be Emmett's fifth year coaching with SSYHA and fourth year as Head Coach of the 12U A team.

Jeff was born and raised in Highlands Ranch, CO and his love for hockey started when the Avalanche moved to town in and won their first Stanely Cup in 1996. He still remembers attending his first Avs game at McNicholes arena and playing street hockey with the goals made out of PVC and finish net. Jeff has been playing hockey on and off for almost 20 years with stops Denver, Vail, Breckenridge and Steamboat. This will be my 6th season coaching for the SSYHA and my third year as a head coach. Jeff and his wife Stephanie have two children, both who play hockey in the association. Our daughter Danica plays on the 15U girls team and our son Blake is on the 12U B team.  

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Alex started playing hockey at 5 yrs old and hasn’t stopped since. After playing for the local Janesville Youth Hockey program, he played 4 yrs of Varsity High School hockey and finished his senior year as the team Captain. Then while attending college at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Alex play NCAA D3 Varsity hockey. 

Alex moved to Colorado in 2008 where he met his wife Savana and started a family. They spent almost 11 yrs in Summit County before moving to their ranch in Steamboat in 2020. He has 3 daughters of which 2 play hockey in the program. Most nights, you can find Alex at the rink, either coaching or playing Adult League hockey. This will be Alex’s second year coaching SSYHA.

Steve grew up near Milwaukee, WI and began playing hockey at the age of 5. Throughout his youth he was always at the rink and played competitively through high school, playing on various AAA teams, including the Madison Capitols. Steve and his family moved to Steamboat in 2016 and both his children, Gracie and Austin, play hockey. Steve works from home for a health insurance organization which allows him freedom to do the things he enjoys in Steamboat, which includes playing/coaching hockey, golfing and skiing.

This will be Steve's 6th year of coaching with SSYHA and his first year as Head Coach of the 10U A team.

Ben grew up in Michigan, where he began playing hockey as soon as his parents finally gave in to his desire to play a “rough” sport. He played throughout high school in Michigan and earned All-State honors at Grosse Pointe South High School before continuing his hockey career playing club hockey at Indiana University.

Since moving to Steamboat in 2006, Ben has remained active in the local hockey community. His love for the game has only grown through his passion for helping young players discover the joy, confidence, and lifelong memories that hockey can bring.

Ben has been involved with Steamboat’s Intro to Hockey program since its infancy and has spent the past three years as an assistant coach for the Mites. This season, he is excited to take on his first year as head coach of the 10U B team.

Sean’s passion for hockey began as a kid growing up in Colorado and continued with 4 years of club hockey in college and adult league stops in New York City and Denver. He and his family moved to Steamboat in 2019 and they could not be happier with the community. Two of Sean’s daughters were inspired to join the Steamboat hockey program after the Colorado Avalanche’s epic run to the Stanley Cup. Since then, Sean has coached for the Mites, Intro, and 10U Girls programs, along with many years of coaching soccer.

This will be Sean's fifth year coaching with SSYHA and his third year as Head Coach of the 10U Girls team.

Ryan is a native of Colorado and played his youth hockey in Littleton and Steamboat Springs. Hockey was the driving force that mapped out his path over the next 20 years. Ryan played junior hockey in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers and the Tri-City Storm where he captained a regular season title winning team. From there, he played hockey for the University of Denver where he won an NCAA National Championship. In 2007, Ryan signed with the Anaheim Ducks and played professional hockey in North America and Europe for the next 11 seasons. 

Ryan returned to Steamboat every summer to run and direct Elite Hockey Training, a summer hockey camp that he founded in 2011. It has become a staple in the summer programs offered annually in Steamboat and is widely enjoyed by boys and girls ages 5-18. 

Ryan eventually returned to Steamboat full time with his wife, Sophie, and two sons, Everett and Oliver. That winter he coached the Steamboat Wranglers, a Junior Hockey team during the 2018-19 season and was the Director of Player Development for the Stampede. He took over as the Steamboat Springs youth Hockey Association Director in 2019 and has held that position ever since.

This will be Ryan's eighth season coaching with SSYHA and sixth season as Head Coach of the Mites teams.

Born and raised in Traverse City, Michigan, Kenny has built a strong foundation of experience and a lifelong passion for the game since he was put on skates at the age of two and playing hockey since four. After playing high school hockey, baseball and soccer he moved south to Flint Michigan to play Junior A hockey. Following his competitive career he’s called Steamboat Springs home for the past 12 years where he teaches private lessons with hockey throughout the year as well as enjoying an active mountain lifestyle as an avid snowboarder. Kenny is excited to share his love for hockey, help players develop their skills, and build confidence both on and off the ice.

Having grown up in Minnesota, Sara trained with a variety of coaches to develop her hockey skills. Karn Skating Dynamics, legendary Jack Blatherwick, and Kathleen Gazich are three notable trainers that helped develop Sara’s skating and skills to the Division 1 level. 

Jack Blatherwick, a training physiologist, helped Herb Brooks train the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and later joined the New York Rangers training staff. Karn Skating Dynamics, ran by Barry Karn who served was the NHL skating and development coach for 22 years for different organizations. Kathleen Gazich has been a Power Skating Coach since 2008 and is a Master Rated Coach with the Professional Skaters Association. 

Sara pulls from her years of experience and training to develop a well rounded power skating program for SSYHA.

As a Colorado native and product of the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association, Jeff has spent over a quarter century in and around the rinks of Colorado in varying capacities. From playing U-18 AAA with the Pikes Peak miners, to the ACHA with both the University of Colorado and Colorado State, and eventually to Director of Goaltending development with Arapahoe Youth Hockey Association,  Jeff has played and coached at some of the highest levels offered in our great state.  With his breadth and depth of experience around the game, he is looking forward to transitioning behind the bench to encourage and develop the next generation of hockey players, and hopefully instill some of his lifelong passion for this great game.

This will be Jeff's fourth year coaching with SSYHA.