2026-27 Coaching Staff


Sara McClanahan

19U Girls Head Coach



19U Girls - Sara McClanahan


Alexa Pighini

15U Girls Head Coach


15U Girls - Alexa Pighini

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. 

Jake Werner

14U A Head Coach

14U A - Jake Werner

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 Baker

14U B Head Coach


14U B - Emmett Baker



Emmett Lacombe

12U Head Coach

12U A - Emmett Lacombe

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 Rodriguez

12U B Head Coach

12U B - Jeff Rodriguez


Alex Kislia

12U Girls Head Coach


12U Girls - Alex Kislia


Steve Spelshaus

10U A Head Coach


10U A - Steve Spelshaus

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 Weaver

10U B Head Coach


10U B - Ben Weaver


Sean Benderly

10U Girls Head Coach


10U Girls - Sean Benderly

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 Dingle

8U Mites and 6U Mini Mites Head Coach

8U Mites and 6U Mini-Mites - Ryan Dingle

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.


Kenny Simmons

Head Skills Coach


SSYHA Skills Coach - Kenny Simmons



Sara McClanahan

Head Power Skating Coach

SSYHA Power Skating Coach - Sara McClanahan


Jeff Wolfe

Head Goaltending Coach

Head Goaltending Coach - Jeff Wolfe

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.


Age Specific Board Representatives

Jen Spelshaus

Foundation Board Rep

Ben Weaver

Youth Board Rep

Jeff Rodriguez

Girls Board Rep

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