Board of Directors
President - Kerry Shea
A Michigan native, Kerry's hockey roots sprouted at an early age. Graduating through the ranks of minor, major, AAA and Junior programs as a youth in the Detroit area, Kerry amassed a wealth of experience in leading championship teams on the state and national level.
Kerry ventured west-ward and landed in Steamboat Springs in the early '90's commencing his next level of hockey involvement managing operations and programing for the Howelsen Ice Arena. Kerry was an assistant coach for Steamboat Springs High School hockey team from 2012-2016, earning CHSAA "Coach of the Year" for the 2015/2016 season.
Kerry is co-founder of the Steamboat Hockey Classic, which since 2013 has welcomed NHL alumni in support of hockey in Steamboat Springs. Efforts from this charity event have raised over $100,000 in benefit to the SSYHA.
Kerry was the Mites head coach from 2013-2018, was instrumental in launching the Introduction to Hockey program in 2015 and in the expansion of a second sheet of ice in Steamboat.
Kerry is the proud father of two hockey players, Claire and Margaux, who's love of the game has officially eclipsed their fathers. From June 2016-April 2018, Kerry took the helm as Director of Program Development for the SSYHA and was elected to the Board in April 2018.
Kerry was re-elected in 2024 and his term will expire in 2026
Vice President - 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.
Sean is the Co-Founder and COO of AutoSalesVelocity (ASV), a software company focused on inventory management for automotive dealerships. He brings a passion for hockey, a love of youth sports, and extensive business experience to the SSYHA board.
Sean was elected in 2025 and his term will expire in 2027
Treasurer - Dana Patten
Dana moved to Steamboat from the front range in 2017 together with her husband Kiva and two boys Henry and Oliver. She originally hails from the East Coast where she grew up skiing, camping, and biking.
While never playing ice hockey herself, she has fond memories of watching her Dad play rec league hockey so she was excited when Oliver expressed interest in joining the Mites.
Being a competitive athlete in high school and college, Dana is a big believer in youth sports, recognizing the importance of building a strong work ethic, perseverance, camaraderie, and fostering a lifelong commitment to fitness.
Dana was re-elected in 2025 and her term will expire in 2027
Secretary - 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 of college, 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 for 3 seasons. In 2021, Emmett moved 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 with the 14U A team. Emmett has now been the head coach of the 12U A team for the last three seasons.
Emmett was elected in 2025 and his term will expire in 2027
Coed (12U/14U) Representative - Ben Weaver
Ben grew up in Michigan and has played hockey since his youth, and still enjoys the adult leagues in Steamboat. He came to Steamboat in 2006 and has been involved in the youth hockey programs in Steamboat since the inception of the intro to hockey program. He now enjoys helping coach his two kids, Cody and Harley in the 6u and 8u programs. He is most passionate about the kids having fun while learning the many great lessons the game of hockey affords them.
He and his wife Tara run Central Park Management where one of their top priorities is giving back to the community. He has seen the tremendous growth of the SSYHA over the years and believes his professional experience makes him a good candidate for the board to support and help navigate the continuing growth of the program.
Ben was elected in 2025 and his term will expire in 2027
Foundation (6U/8U/10U) Representative - Jen Spelshaus
As a North Dakota native and graduate of University of North Dakota, Jen grew up surrounded by hockey. When she and her family moved to Steamboat in 2016, they jumped right into the hockey program here. Her daughter, Gracie, plays for 12U girls and her son, Austin, plays on the Mites team. Her husband, Steve, coaches both of their kids' teams and also plays in the Men’s league.
Jen works for U.S. Bank in Human Resources on their Compensation team. She loves volunteering at school along with coaching youth sports, including soccer and basketball. She also enjoy golfing, fishing and skiing and is a proud participant in D league softball each summer.
As a board member, she hopes to work with the membership to increase transparency and communication with players, parents and coaches. She would like to use the end-of-year survey to determine the best aspects to continue as we are today and make incremental changes as needed.
Jen was elected in 2024 and her term will expire in 2026
Girls Representative - Jeff Rodriguez
Jeff moved to Steamboat in July 2020 with his wife Stephanie. They have two kids in the program, daughter Danica and son Blake. He has been a coach with both of their teams for the past four seasons. While he did not grow up playing hockey, he instantly found a love for the game playing as a young adult and still play in the adult rec leagues today. In his youth, he played competitive baseball and club soccer at the highest levels. Some of his best youth memories include traveling around the country with my teammates and playing tournaments in Europe.
Currently, he is the president of a small sales company and this leadership experience has equipped him with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive organizational growth and ensure sound financial stewardship for long-term success.
Jeff was elected in 2024 and his term will expire in 2026