Back in December we reported that Meg Hishmeh and Leah Wrazidlo would be officiating the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Meg and Leah are both members of the Atlantic District Officiating Program who live in New Jersey. Each of them has officiated several Women's Ice Hockey games in the Olympics so far.

Here is a a roundup of the news reports that mention either or both of them:

• Hockey officials heading from Kinnelon to Vancouver in the Daily Record. The article talks mainly about how each of them learned that they had been selected for the Olympic tournament and recaps their playing and officiating careers to this point.
• NAHL referee to work Winter Olympics on The World of Junior Hockey Blog. This article talks mainly about Wrazidlo, her involvement in the Olympics, and the fact that she officiated a North American Hockey League game that was part of the Paint the Rink Pink Campaign.
• Female referee blazes trail from Duluth to Olympics in the Duluth News Tribune. Leah Wrazidlo is featured in this article. She is of local interest in Duluth, MN because Leah is a native of the area and a University of Minnesota Duluth alumnus.

Continue reading "Media Reports on Meg Hishmeh and Leah Wrazidlo Officiating Ice Hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program has announced that the last USA Hockey officiating seminars for the 2009-2010 season will take place as follows:

• Saturday, March 27th at Protec Ponds in Somerset, NJ at 8:00 AM.
• Sunday, March 28th at Ice Works in Aston, PA at 8:30 AM.

Registration for these seminars will be accepted beginning on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 8:00am Eastern Time at http://www.aaharefs.org/seminar_schedule.php.

Training will be offered for new officials (registering at Level 1) and returning officials (registering at Level 1 or Level 2). Level 3 certification will not be offered at these seminars. Officials who are already completely registered at Level 1 for the 2009-2010 season are not eligible to attend these seminars to advance to Level 2.

Check-in begins at the time indicated for each site. Walk-up registrations will most likely not be accepted. The seminars will conclude around 5:00 pm.

Registration Steps

1. Go online to the USA Hockey website to register as an Official for the 2009-2010 season with USAH and with the Atlantic District. This must be completed first even if you are already registered as a Player or a Coach. Within 24 hours, you will receive a USA Hockey Referee Registration number via email. If you want to reserve your place for this seminar when registration opens on March 3, you must register with USA Hockey on or before March 1.
2. Go to the District Officiating Program website at http://www.aaharefs.org/seminar_schedule.php with your USAH Referee Registration Number and carefully follow the directions. Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited and these seminars usually fill up very quickly.

Equipment Required to Participate

If you are a returning official, you will need to bring full officiating gear.

If you are a new official, you will need to bring: hockey helmet, hockey skates (not goalie or figure skates), suitable clothing to go on the ice (ex. warm-up suit) plus a pad and pen to take notes.

Officiating Candidate Conduct Expectations

Officiating candidates are not permitted to arrive late or leave early from these seminars. Candidates acting improperly at the seminar may be dismissed by the Seminar Coordinator with no refund.

Lunch will be available for purchase at the rink.

Registrations Completed Through This Seminar Expire in November

This referee registration will be valid until Nov. 30, 2010. All officials will have to re-register and attend a new seminar for the 2010-11 season starting in August, 2010. Note that there may be limited opportunities for game assignments depending on the amount of Spring and Summer hockey in your area.

Contact Person for Questions

If there are any questions, contact USA Hockey Atlantic District Referee-in-Chief Tony Mariconda at tonyrefx3 [at] aol.com.

Registration Update

Due to a technical issue, the Seminar Registration System opened at approximately 8:50am on March 3, rather than 8:00am as scheduled. We apologize for the inconvenience that this may have caused candidates who were trying to register.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda asked that the following announcement be posted on AAHArefs:

With the help of our Internet Communications Department, the USA Hockey Officiating Department is happy to launch the new Official Status feature at www.usahockey.com. This feature will offer our 28,000 registered officials the opportunity to review their current registration status with USA Hockey.

The feature will replace the automated telephone menu-system. The telephone system will no longer be in service after Friday, February 5, 2010.

If you live in a state that used the USA Hockey Online Seminar Registration Tool this past fall you already have the necessary USAHockey.com profile to access your information. If you do not have a USAHockey.com profile, the process is very simple and will take less than five minutes to complete. To create a profile and access your information:

1. Go to www.usahockey.com and click the "Create Profile" link at the top of the page next to the search engine.
2. Follow the instructions and enter the required data-fields to set-up your profile.
3. After your profile is created and saved, click the "Official Status" link at the top of the website (where the "Create Profile" link previously was) and you will be lead to your USA Hockey Officiating Program Registration information.
4. This webpage will provide valuable information to all our officials as they complete their registration each season. The webpage is designed to display your USA Hockey Officiating Number, Registration History, Seminar Attendance Information, and Exam Results.

This webpage will provide valuable information to all our officials as they complete their registration each season. The webpage is designed to display your USA Hockey Officiating Number, Registration History, Seminar Attendance Information, and Exam Results.

Continue reading "USA Hockey Provides Web-based Way to Check Officiating Status" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District is planning to hold two Level 1 & 2 Officiating Seminars during the last weekend in March. New and returning participants may attend one of these seminars as part of the process to become USA Hockey-registered officials for the current (2009-2010) season.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike McDevitt, the Atlantic District Evaluation Program Coordinator, said the following:

I would like to remind all registered USA Hockey officials to email me if they would like an evaluation. I will put them in contact with an Atlantic District Supervisor in their area, to perform an in-person written evaluation with them.

The USA Hockey Evaluation Program is designed as an educational tool to assist all officials. The evaluation process will provide instructional follow-up which reinforces the information presented at USA Hockey seminars and is outlined in the officiating manuals. The evaluator is there as an officiating 'coach' to help the individual on-ice official improve his/her game.

Mike's email address is mcdevittmike [at] hotmail.com.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congratulations to the following Atlantic District officials who were recently named to the staff of prestigious international hockey tournaments by the IIHF:

• Meg Hishmeh- Winter Olympics Games, Vancouver
• Leah Wrazidlo- Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver
• Andrea Weissman- U18 World Championship- USA Chicago
• Kate Connolly- Qwest Olympic Tour- Madison, WI
• Dave Brown- Men’s IIHF World Championship- Germany
• Paul Carnathan- U20 IIHF World Championship- Canada

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda wrote, "I am sorry to report that Paul Puchalik has passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was a former on-ice official, the rink manager at Lawrenceville, the Commissioner of the Mid-Atlantic Women's Hockey Association and a Vice-President of the Atlantic District."

The viewing is Sunday, November 22, 2009 between 2:00 and 6:00 pm at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vanderventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Monday, November 23 at 10:00 AM at St. David the King Catholic Church, Village Road, West Windsor, NJ.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to American Cancer Society and/or the Lawrence Flames Scholarship Fund.

Obituaries: Trenton Times

Posted by Dave Aiello at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda asked that the following interpretation from USA Hockey be posted immediately on AAHArefs.

The important new information is shown below in bold print:

The 2009 rule change to Rule 403 & 405 and its interpretation:

For a player that is assessed a non-coincident major penalty and game misconduct (or a non-coincident match penalty in the case of Rule 405), the offending team is not required to immediately place a substitute on the penalty bench and may do so prior to the expiration of the penalty. No player may enter the game except from the penalty bench with a bench minor penalty being assessed for a violation.

... will apply only to situations where players receive a Match penalty or a Major penalty and a Game Misconduct (or are injured). So if a player receives a Major plus Game Misconduct for checking from behind, he is removed from the game and his team may wait to put a substitute player in the penalty box. The substitute may enter the box at any stoppage during the Major penalty.

The substitute player may only enter the box by way of the ice and only during a stoppage. Any substitution made outside these guidelines shall be penalized for Illegal Substitution.

If the team does not place a substitute player in the penalty box by the expiration of the Major penalty they must continue to play short-handed until the next stoppage of play. Once play has been stopped, they may place five players on the ice for the ensuing faceoff (there is NO additional penalty given at this point). If they send a player onto the ice before the next stoppage, they shall be penalized for Illegal Substitution. At this time, the icing rule is in effect even though they are still shorthanded.

This rule does not apply to any goalkeeper penalties, penalty situations that include Minor penalties (2+5+GM), or penalty situations that include Major plus Misconducts (5+10). In these situations, player substitutions must be made immediately.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda reports that The Southeast District has added a Level 4 Officiating Seminar on Saturday, Oct 31st at Prince William Arena in Dale City, Virginia (about 30 miles south of DC). For details, go to the Southeast Officiating Program Seminar Schedule Page.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For any Atlantic District official who wants to apply for Level 4 but cannot attend our Level 4 Seminar on August 30, neighboring districts will be hosting Level 4 Seminars on the following dates:

• Sunday, September 20,
  Somewhere in the New England District
  see NE District officiating seminar schedule for information
  
• Saturday, October 3
  Rockville Ice Arena
  Rockville, MD
  Sign up through USA Hockey
• Sunday, October 18 at 9:30am
  Cantiague Park Ice Arena
  Hicksville, NY
  Patrick Cooney
  516-496-7625
  contact Patrick ASAP to ensure admission
  
• Saturday, October 24
  Extreme Ice Center
  Indian Trail, NC
  (Charlotte area)
  register on southeastrefs.org Website
  
• Saturday, October 31
  Prince William Arena
  Dale City, VA
  (30 miles S of Washington, DC)
  register on southeastrefs.org Website
  
  

Tony Mariconda reminds us that you should sign an Out-of-District Seminar Attendance Form in most cases in order for your seminar attendance to be recognized by USA Hockey.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)