Here are our board candidates for 2025/2026 listed in alphabetical order.  If elected, they will serve a 2 year team for the organization.   Each name will link to their bio or application for the board.

Election Instructions for Wednesday, May 27th will be posted soon.

 

Sean Coyle

Sean Coyle is seeking reelection to the South Pittsburgh Rebellion Board of Directors. Sean has been part of the organization for the past 15 years and has had three sons come through the program. He currently serves as the organization’s President and as Head Coach of the 2010 birth year team.

Sean has been a board member for the past nine years and has coached hockey for more than 15 years at levels ranging from Mites through Midgets. His experience provides a strong understanding of player development, team operations, and organizational growth.

Throughout his time with the organization, Sean has served in several leadership roles, including Referee Scheduler, where he introduced scheduling software that is still used by the organization today. He also served as Mite Coordinator for two years and helped lead efforts to secure larger pads and additional equipment specifically for the mites program.

Sean later became Vice President and Director of Coaching, where he played a key role in implementing TeamSnap, improving the tryout process, and helping lead the rebranding of the organization to the South Pittsburgh Rebellion. He was also instrumental in bringing Tyler Kennedy Skills Training into the program.

For the past four years, Sean has served as President of the organization. In that role, he has worked closely with the rink, represented the organization within the Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League, and remained committed to the continued growth and development of the South Pittsburgh Rebellion both on and off the ice.

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Charlie Hawthorne

Charlie Hawthorne is seeking reelection to the South Pittsburgh Hockey Club Board, continuing a commitment to an organization that has been an important part of his family’s life since joining in 2018, when the club was still SAHA/Rink Rats. Charlie has two children in the organization—Crawford (2012) and Brecken (2014)—and through the years has volunteered in a variety of roles supporting their teams, including as a head coach, assistant coach, and business manager. As both a hockey parent and volunteer, Charlie brings a practical understanding of the player and family experience across multiple levels of the organization.

Charlie has served in several leadership roles within SPHC, including two terms as Director of Off-Ice Operations from 2020 to 2024, where he focused on improving communication across the organization, strengthening support for team managers, and helping develop fundraising opportunities that benefit all families. Most recently, he has served as Registrar and SafeSport Coordinator from 2024 to 2026, overseeing player, coach, and team registrations with USA Hockey and associated leagues, while helping ensure compliance with SafeSport requirements and organizational standards.

Charlie is seeking another term to continue supporting the growth, organization, and long-term success of South Pittsburgh Hockey Club. His hands-on involvement as a parent, coach, volunteer, and board member has given him valuable perspective on the needs of the organization, and he remains committed to helping provide a positive, safe, and well-supported experience for all Rebellion players and families.

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Klete Kutrovac

Klete Kutrovac is seeking re-election to the South Pittsburgh Rebellion Board of Directors after serving on the Board for the past four years. During his time on the Board, Klete has served as Director of Player Development, where he has focused on enhancing both on-ice and off-ice development opportunities for Rebellion players across all age levels.

Klete is entering his ninth season coaching within the Rebellion organization and his seventh season as a Head Coach. Throughout his coaching and board service, he has remained committed to helping players develop their skills, confidence, and passion for the game in a positive and competitive environment.

Over the past four years serving on the Board, Klete has gained valuable experience and insight into the operation of a non-profit organization and has worked to help secure additional funding dedicated toward player development initiatives. He was also instrumental in establishing the Shane Clifford goalie training program, which currently provides six weekly training slots dedicated to Rebellion goaltenders.

As Director of Player Development, Klete coordinates the organization’s development programming, including partnerships and training opportunities with Shane Clifford Goalie Training, Industry Goalie Training, TK Trainings, and Andrew Blazek Trainings.

A significant portion of Klete’s responsibilities also involves developing and organizing tryout plans and processes for all Rebellion teams. He believes that a structured, fair, and well-executed tryout process is critical to establishing a strong foundation for each team’s success throughout the season. Klete has worked to ensure that Rebellion tryouts provide players with a positive environment to showcase their abilities while utilizing experienced and qualified evaluators to deliver consistent and objective player assessments.

Originally from Wheeling, West Virginia, Klete grew up playing hockey and continues to stay involved in the game through adult league hockey as time allows. His passion for hockey, player development, and the continued growth of the Rebellion organization drives his commitment to serving the families and players of the South Pittsburgh Rebellion.

Klete would be honored to continue serving the Rebellion community for another two-year term and appreciates the continued support of the organization’s players, families, coaches, and volunteers.

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Eric Lauver

While I never had the opportunity to play hockey growing up, the game has been a large part of my son Aaron’s life since he was 5 years old. He is thrilled to be back with SPR this fall, serving as a birth year team goaltender. I am entering my third year assisting with the management team for Aaron’s team, where I handle game day operations for all home and away games.

Outside of hockey, I am a school administrator, who has led schools at every level from K-12 in Washington County, including Trinity Area, Fort Cherry, and Ringgold School Districts. Additionally, I served on the leadership team of Cub Scout Pack 562 in Pleasant Hills for 9 years, during which time I led a team that improved the Pack’s financial position, grew in size, and repaired its relationship with its chartered organization. I am also the Technology Coordinator for the Pacer Track Club in Bethel Park, supporting all season and meet registration as well as special events.

I believe I can assist the Rebellion with my extensive work in working with children and adults in educational settings. In all my experiences listed above, I choose to look at things with the students or athletes first, and I then work collaboratively to determine how to build systems that support the coaches or teachers who work directly with the students or athletes. The organization is on solid footing, and it is my goal to be a part of a team that maintains that footing while continuing to improve its standing among hockey organizations in Western Pennsylvania.

I appreciate your support, and Roll Rebellion!

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Lauren Leeper

Lauren is re-running for a spot on the South Pittsburgh Hockey Club Board at this year’s election. Supporting the registered families of SPHC has become a meaningful and steady part of Lauren’s daily life, reflecting her ongoing commitment to the organization and the community it serves. Although she had never formally played or coached hockey herself, her sons are both youth hockey players in the Pittsburgh area. Her son Henry has played for the Rebellion over the past four years, giving her a strong understanding of the program from a parent’s perspective and a clear view of what families need to feel supported and connected. Offering open communication and transparency for all members who seek assistance is something that Lauren makes as her top priority.

Volunteering consistently throughout all aspects of the organization is something impactful that Lauren strives to always be involved with. Over the past four (4) seasons she has served as a team manager at the 8U level and will begin her 5th year as a manager this season on the SPHC 2017-BY 10U Team. During her previous two (2) years on the Board and prior, she orchestrated several organization-wide events that have assisted the raising of funds for all participating teams, in an effort to provide all our families and players with memorable experiences. Some of these events include the annual SPHC Golf Outing as well as collaborating with the Washington Wild Things for a Rebellion Fundraiser Night. Her enthusiasm for team management also propelled her to provide an enhanced annual Manager Training and instituting a more collaborative TeamSnap group for all managers in an effort to support and communicate with our SPHC team manager volunteers. While on the board, she has reviewed and revised multiple SPHC policies, which include the creation of a new Team Manager policy/guideline. She has collaborated closely with other SPHC Board Members to strengthen organization‑wide communication and reinforce key timelines for equipment and roster submissions.

As her son transitions into the 10U Squirt Level, she still plans to be a voice for the 8U program as some of her biggest impacts to date have been seen yearly throughout the mite portion of our organization. Over the past three (3) seasons, her joint efforts with the ADM Coordinator have been immeasurable while attending the PAHL scheduling for all 8U teams, assisting with organization and tracking of all 8U goalie equipment, and supporting communication with new and veteran mite coaches and team managers. She also plans to continue organizing the annual mite Christmas practice, which has now become a great Rebellion yearly tradition.

Lauren is seeking another term because she wants to continue improving the support provided to all of our team managers, expand communication consistency across all levels, and help develop new fundraising opportunities and avenues that benefit the entire organization. She brings reliability, organization, a collaborative mindset, and she is committed to contributing to SPHC’s continued success and ensuring that ALL families, coaches, and managers feel informed, supported, and proud to be part of South Pittsburgh Hockey Club.

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Anthony Santaguida

Anthony has been a proud member of the South Pittsburgh Hockey Club family for eight years, and in that time the Rebellion has been the only hockey home his family has ever known.  What started as a commitment to one player has grown into a full family affair, and his dedication to this organization runs just as deep today as it did on day one.

Now completing his second term as Treasurer, Anthony has transformed the financial operations of the South Pittsburgh Hockey Club with his time on the board.   During his tenure he built the organization’s first financial forecasting model, introduced credit card and ACH payment processing, restructured banking accounts to reduce fees and strengthen fraud protection, and developed a full-year budgeting and scenario planning tool that gives the board unprecedented clarity when making financial decisions. These improvements were built to serve the organization for years to come.  He has also taken on the unglamorous but essential responsibility of managing the club’s annual tax filing, a duty he has shouldered without hesitation every season.

That same commitment to doing things the right way carries over into everything else Anthony brings to the Rebellion.  As a USA Hockey Level 5 certified coach, he currently serves as head coach of the 14U 2012 BY2 team and has been an assistant coach for his daughter’s teams since she first hit the ice three years ago.  His coaching philosophy is simple: every player deserves equal ice time, equal opportunity to develop, and the chance to genuinely love the game.  He has applied that same inclusive mindset to his board work, consistently advocating for equitable resources and training opportunities across all teams and all levels of play.

Anthony has been a vocal champion for growing the game for everyone.  He was instrumental in launching the Rebellion’s inaugural 12U girls team and is committed to building South Pittsburgh into the premier girls hockey destination in Western Pennsylvania.

In seeking a third term, Anthony’s focus is clear: there is more work to do.  On the financial side, he sees meaningful opportunities to further automate processes, sharpen budgeting tools, and build on the infrastructure he has put in place, giving the board even better information to make smart decisions for the organization.  More broadly, he remains deeply motivated to ensure that the South Pittsburgh Hockey Club continues to set the standard for player development and family experience in the region.  For Anthony, this isn’t just a board position, it’s a personal investment in a community that has been a second home to his family for nearly a decade.

He believes hockey is a family sport.  It creates second families for players and parents alike.  He brings that spirit to everything he does for this club.  Anthony would be honored to continue serving the South Pittsburgh Hockey Club, its players, and its families.

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Nick Santora

I am proud to serve as the current Club Equipment Manager for the South Pittsburgh Rebellion Hockey Club. In this role, I oversee all aspects of team uniforms, jersey number assignments, spirit wear, and custom Rebellion equipment, including gloves and pants. I also coordinate the ordering and distribution of helmet stickers, car decals, captain’s letters, and coaches’ equipment while maintaining the club’s jersey number database.

In addition to my equipment responsibilities, I actively participate in player evaluations during tryouts, attend monthly board meetings, and strive to represent the Rebellion organization in a positive, professional, and approachable manner.

My family has been part of the Rebellion organization for the past four years. My wife and I live in Bethel Park with our two sons, who both play within the organization — one at the 2011 birth year level and the other at the 2016 birth year level. I also serve as the head coach for both of their teams, which has given me valuable insight into the needs of our players, families, and coaches across multiple age groups.

Outside of hockey, I work as a Physical Education teacher at Bethel Park High School. Hockey has been an important part of my life since I was 10 years old, and I continue to stay active in the game by playing recreationally in the Foundry adult league at Printscape.

I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the South Pittsburgh Rebellion community and helping provide a positive experience for all of our players and families.

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