Attention All Registered Montclair, NJ March 25, 2012 Seminar Participants:

Due to situations beyond the control of the Atlantic District Officiating Program, the Montclair seminar scheduled for March 25th, 2012 has been moved to April 1, 2012. We apologize for any inconvenience this will cause but this situation cannot be avoided. All registration for the March 25th seminar have been moved to the new date and you will not need to re-register to attend. Unfortunately, we will not be able to schedule any other spring seminars for the Atlantic District other than the Aston PA, and now the Montclair NJ both on April 1, 2012.

Once again I apologize for the change and hope officials registered will be able to attend the April 1st date in Montclair NJ.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marty Maglio via email at marty.maglio [at] verizon.net

Marty Maglio
Atlantic District Seminar Coordinator
USA Hockey

Posted by Dave Aiello at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Registration is now open for 2012 Atlantic District Officiating Program Spring Seminars on March 25 in Montclair, NJ, and on April 1 in Aston, PA. If you are registered as an official with USA Hockey for the 2011-2012 season and have not yet attended an officiating seminar, we hope that these seminars are convenient for you.

Please visit the Seminar Schedule and sign up if you can attend.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On January 18, 2012, the AAHA Officiating Program held a winter meeting in Trenton, NJ. The meeting was attended by approximately 65 people, including Tom Koester (Atlantic District President), Colleen Marinari (Atlantic District Executive) and Mike Lichtenberger (Atlantic District Coach in Chief). Leo Boylan, our District Referee-in-Chief, chaired the meeting, which lasted about 2 hours. Other attendees that were invited were any evaluators, instructors and assignors in the District as well as various other leaders from the Atlantic District. Below is a summary of each speaker and their comments.

Leo Boylan opened and closed the meeting with a constant message that this is "your" District and he wants input and help from everyone who is interested. He will certainly guide programs, but wants ideas and will willingly accept help from all of us. Leo outlined his plans for structure in the future and told everyone that he hoped to have this laid out at the beginning of the summer. In the meantime, a re-cap from the USAH winter meetings included:

• Registration numbers are down in the district and nationally.
• 2013-2014 will be a rule change year and after that, rule changes will be every 4 years

Continue reading "Recap of Atlantic District Officiating Program 2012 Winter Meeting" »

Posted by Bob Fyrer at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District is planning to hold two Level 1 & 2 Officiating Seminars during the last weekend in March and/or the First Weekend in April 2012. New and returning participants may attend one of these seminars as part of the process to become USA Hockey-registered officials for the current (2011-2012) season.

If you are interested, please monitor AAHArefs.org or Facebook.com/aaharefs for further information about these events. As soon as we have particulars available, we will post details on this site.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're announcing two new seminars in New Jersey:

• A Level 2 and 3 seminar at Bridgewater Sports Arena on Saturday, September 24, and
• A Level 1 seminar at Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ on Sunday, September 25.

The time of the Bridgewater seminar (2:00pm to 10:00pm) is unusual, but was necessary because of limited availability of facilities at this time of year. As always, please carefully review the information on the Seminar Schedule before registering.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're announcing a new seminar for Level 2 and 3 officials at Skylands Ice World in Stockholm, NJ on September 18, 21, and 22. Please carefully review the information on the Seminar Schedule before registering. You must attend all three days of the seminar to receive credit for it.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Tony Mariconda, the Atlantic District Referee-in-Chief. Tony passed away this afternoon after a valiant battle with cancer. He was 67 years old.

Tony Mariconda

Tony became the Atlantic District Referee-in-Chief in 1999 and among his many accomplishments, he was the Camp Director of numerous USA Hockey Officiating Regional and National Camps; helped produce the USA Hockey Seminar Instructor Program and the original USA Hockey Officiating Evaluation Program.

Tony is survived by his wife Joan, two sons and daughter's-in-law Philip and Susan Mariconda, and Paul and Holly Mariconda, and his beautiful grandchildren. Tony and Joan were both recently named to the Atlantic District Hall of Fame. Joan is an AAHA board member and a USA Hockey Director. Philip and Paul are both veteran ice hockey officials.

The family has requested that we provide the following information about funeral arrangements:

• Visitation: 2 - 4:00pm and 7 - 9:00pm, Wednesday, September 7
• Funeral: 10:30am, Thursday, September 8

Browning-Forshay Funeral Home
557 Lafayette Avenue
Hawthorne, NJ 07507
[ Directions ]
973-427-0800

• Burial: Following funeral

Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
52 Totowa Road
Totowa, NJ 07512
[ Directions ]
973-942-3341

Obituary and on-line condolence book provided by the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to:

• The USA Hockey Foundation
  1775 Bob Johnson Drive
  Colorado Springs, CO 80906
• American Cancer Society
  PO Box 22718
  Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718

Follow the District Officiating Program on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/aaharefs and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/aaharefs for further updates to this story.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program sent the following email message to all officials who were scheduled to attend the Atlantic District Level 4 Officiating Seminar on Wednesday, August 31:

All Participants:

The Atlantic District Level 4 Officiating Seminar has been rescheduled to take place on Sunday, September 11th from 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM at The Igloo, Mount Laurel, NJ. Please... confirm your registration to this rescheduled seminar.

If for any reason you cannot attend this seminar as previously registered, please contact Dave Zulla at david.zulla [at] verizon.net immediately.

I want to thank all the officials who were scheduled to attend this for your understanding in this matter.

If you should have any other questions, please contact Marty Maglio via email at: marty.maglio [at] verizon.net.

Marty Maglio
USA Hockey
Atlantic District Seminar Coordinator

Records have been retained of who was originally registered for the Level 4 Seminar, in case questions arise.

Follow the Atlantic District Officiating Program on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aaharefs or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/aaharefs for the latest news on seminar schedule changes.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program sent the following email message to all officials who were scheduled to attend the Atlantic District Officiating Seminars at Bridgewater and Wayne, NJ on Saturday, August 27:

All Participants:

We are still in the process of working out all the details to reschedule the two seminars postponed by Irene this weekend. Unfortunately with leagues starting to play earlier and earlier each year the ice availability is limited. We are working hard to come up with solutions for the program.

In the meantime, if you would like to go to another open seminar within the district you may do so by going back to the district WEB Page www.aaharefs.org and re-registering for the open seminar you can attend.

I want to thank all the officials who were scheduled to attend either of these two seminar for your understanding in this matter.

If you should have any questions, please contact Marty Maglio via email at: marty.maglio [at] verizon.net.

Marty Maglio
USA Hockey
Atlantic District Seminar Coordinator

All registrations for the Bridgewater and Wayne, NJ seminars have been cancelled to permit those officials to register freely for other seminars. Records have been retained of who was registered for those seminars, in case questions arise.

Follow the Atlantic District Officiating Program on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aaharefs or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/aaharefs for the latest news on seminar schedule changes.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program sent the following email message to all officials scheduled to attend the Atlantic District Officiating Seminars at Bridgewater and Wayne, NJ on Saturday, August 27:

The state of New Jersey has declared a "State of Emergency" for the entire state in preparation for hurricane Irene, therefore the Atlantic District Officiating Program has decided to postpone the seminars scheduled for Saturday August 27th, 2011.

The district seminar coordinator and his staff are currently working with district officials and the facilities to rescheduled the sessions. As soon as we can work-out all the logistics with all the groups you will be notified via another email.

If you should have any questions, please contact Marty Maglio via email at: marty.maglio [at] verizon.net.

Marty Maglio
USA Hockey
Atlantic District Seminar Coordinator

As a result of this announcement all Officiating Seminars in New Jersey on August 27 and 28 are postponed.

There is no plan to postpone the seminar in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Saturday, August 27. It will occur as scheduled.

Follow the Atlantic District Officiating Program on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aaharefs or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/aaharefs for the latest news on seminar schedule changes.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Late on Thursday night, the Atlantic District Officiating Program sent the following email message to all officials scheduled to attend the Atlantic District Level 4 Seminar that was scheduled for Sunday, August 28:

The state of New Jersey has declared a "State of Emergency" for the entire state in preparation for hurricane Irene, therefore the Atlantic District Officiating Program has decided to postpone the Level Four Seminar scheduled for Sunday August 28th, 2011 at the Lawrenceville Prep School. The district seminar coordinator and his staff are currently working with district officials and the Lawrenceville School for a rescheduled date. As soon as we can work-out all the logistics with all the groups you will be notified via another email.

If you should have any questions, please contact Marty Maglio via email at: marty.maglio [at] verizon.net.

Marty Maglio
USA Hockey
Atlantic District Seminar Coordinator

Follow the Atlantic District Officiating Program on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aaharefs or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/aaharefs for the latest news on seminar schedule changes.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Online Seminar Registration for Atlantic District Officiating Seminars is now open. To register, visit http://www.aaharefs.org/seminar_schedule.php and follow the instructions.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Each year the Atlantic District Officiating Program selects an official to receive its Official of the Year Award. The award recognizes an official who has made significant contributions to the District Officiating Program during the just-concluded season, often going 'above and beyond' what is expected of an official. The presentation is made at the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association's annual meeting in June. This year's winner is David Zulla.

Continue reading "Dave Zulla Wins The 2011 AAHA Official of the Year Award" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several years ago, the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) started a Hall of Fame to recognize people who have made significant contributions to our District over many years. These people are recognized with a plaque at the AAHA headquarters in Voorhees, NJ and each receives an individual plaque at the AAHA Annual Meeting in June. This year there were two new inductees into the AAHA Hall of Fame who are closely associated with the District Officiating Program: Joan and Tony Mariconda.

Continue reading "Joan and Tony Mariconda Inducted into The AAHA Hall of Fame" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

 
Chris Pitoscia (left) and Brett Sheva were chosen to
officiate the 2011 USHL Clark Cup Finals.
[ Photos: USHL ]

Brett Sheva and Chris Pitoscia, two 24-year-old referees who got their start in the Atlantic District, were named to the staff for the USHL Clark Cup Finals yesterday. The announcement of the staff was made jointly by United States Hockey League Commissioner and President Skip Prince, and Director of Hockey Operations Scott Brand.

Brett, from Horsham, PA, and Chris, from Edison, NJ, are both in their second seasons with the USHL, the top Tier 1 junior hockey league in the United States. Sheva and Pitoscia are both alumni of the Atlantic District Officiating Development Camp which prepared them for success at USA Hockey Officiating Program regional and national camps. It was through these camps and through success in lower levels of the USA Hockey Officiating Development Program that they came to the attention of the USHL staff initially.

Ian Walsh, NHL Referee and director of the Atlantic District Officiating Camp said, "I'm very proud of Brett and Chris on being named to referee the Clark Cup Finals. They have worked extremely hard, both on and off the ice. It's great to see two young officials from the Atlantic District having success in the USHL."

Game 1 of the Clark Cup Finals between the Green Bay Gamblers and the Dubuque Fighting Saints will take place on Friday, May 13 in Green Bay at 7:05pm Central Time.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program is pleased to announce a series of follow up seminars called the Atlantic District Level 1 Officials' Continuing Education Program.

Note: These seminars are intended only for officials who have already completed a 2010-11 Officiating Seminar— they cannot be used as an initial seminar for 2010-11 USA Hockey Referee Registration. We may hold one or two full-day seminars that will satisfy 2010-11 USA Hockey Referee Registration requirements in late March. Details about these seminars will be made available on AAHArefs in early February.

These one-evening, classroom-only training sessions will take place in several arenas or nearby facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania throughout January and early February 2011. Each seminar will be led by a senior officiating supervisor with Seminar Coordinator experience. They will be joined by a team of experienced officials who have been through the Seminar Instructor Training Program and will be focused on the questions and concerns of first-year officials. Local Officiating Assignors are also being invited so they can meet first year officials and possibly offer game assignments to them.

First-year Level 1 officials are urged to pre-register and attend one of these seminars.

For more information, including dates, times, and locations of the Follow Up Seminars, please look at our event calendar:

• Follow Up Seminar Event Calendar for January
• Follow Up Seminar Event Calendar for February

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week, USA Hockey's Playing Rules Committee published the 2011-2013 Playing Rules Change Proposals. The document we are providing on AAHArefs is a summary of 103 major rules change proposals, and 27 proposals that are specific to the Junior "A" and "B" Playing Rules.

The Playing Rules Committee met on November 13 in the Chicago area to discuss all of the proposals submitted by November 1, and to vote on each of them in order to give other constituencies within USA Hockey recommendations on the disposition of each proposal.

The Playing Rules Committee will review each proposal one more time during the USA Hockey Annual Congress in June. This review will take place in an open forum prior to final consideration by the USA Hockey Board of Directors.

If anyone has any questions about any of the proposed Rule Changes, or wants to provide feedback through our Atlantic District representatives at the Annual Congress, contact Tony Mariconda at tonyrefx3 [at] aol.com.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kerry Fraser will be at the following locations to do a book signing for his new book-- "The Final Call."

• Friday, December 17: Nashville Predators at New Jersey Devils game at The Prudential Center in Newark at 7pm.
 
• Saturday, December 18- NY Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers game at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Doors open at 11:30am and Kerry will be on the main concourse at the Flyers Charities kiosk where the book will be sold and personally signed. He will be signing there through the end of the 1st intermission. Then he leaves there to go to...
• Saturday, December 18- Borders Bookstore, 1 South Broad Street, Philadelphia from 3pm to 5pm.
 
• Sunday, December 19- Barnes & Noble, 200 W Route 70, Marlton, NJ from 3pm to 5pm.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

The sixth annual Atlantic District Officiating Development Camp took place from June 11 to 14, 2009 at Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ. Twelve of the best young officials in the Atlantic District were selected to participate after a competitive application process.

The Officiating Development Camp was launched by NHL Referee Ian Walsh, the camp's director, with the goal of getting male and female officials from the Atlantic District ready to succeed at USA Hockey's Eastern Regional Officiating Camp.

Atlantic District Officiating Development Camp participants and staff: Left to right: Tim Lyons, Terrence Murphy, Ian Walsh, JP Waleski, Kate Connolly, Pat Cunningham, Brian Skursky, Kris Ungvarsky, Bill Novitski, Jonah Paul, Peter Schlittnehardt, Chris Bluem, Meghan Cassidy, Laura Gosnell, Danielle Bugge, Bob Walter, Dave Brown. [ Photo: Dave Zulla ]

The staff also included Brett Sheva, Chris Pitoscia, Kate Connolly, Tim Nowak, Dave Brown, Mike McDevitt, and Tom Steinel.

Camp participants this year also got to hear from several guest speakers during the four-day camp. This year guests included NHL Linesman Tim Nowak, USA Hockey Officiating Development Program Director Scott Brand, Atlantic Junior Hockey League Referee-in-Chief Chris Allman, Atlantic District Referee-in-Chief Tony Mariconda, and Atlantic District President Tom Koester.

Thanks to Mike McDevitt for his contributions to this article.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the fourth consecutive year the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) will be holding an open tryout at the ESL Sports Centre in Rochester, N.Y. for individuals interested in officiating intercollegiate men’s and women’s ice hockey.

The tryout will take place from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 15. Candidates will go through an on-ice skating session and will complete the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Ice Hockey Rules Exam.

Individuals interested in attending the tryout must register at www.ecac.org. Questions regarding the tryout can be sent to Michael Letzeisen, ECAC Director of Sport Administration (mletzeisen@ecac.org, 508-771-5060 ext. 236).

The ECAC assigns officials for the ECAC Men’s East Ice Hockey League, ECAC Men’s West Ice Hockey League, ECAC Northeast Ice Hockey League, ECAC Women’s East Ice Hockey League, ECAC Women’s West Ice Hockey League, Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC), New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Niagara University, Robert Morris College, the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) and Syracuse University.

Link To Registration Form: http://www.ecac.org/officiating/ice/Forms/09_tryout_reg_roch

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program will host USA Hockey Seminars for new and returning officials starting in mid-August. Details on those seminars along with registration instructions will be posted on this website in early July.

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

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bob Fyrer wrote:

The Lehigh Valley Ice Hockey Officials Association is putting together our First Annual Penalty Shot Open to benefit the Special Olympics groups in the Lehigh Valley. It will be held at the Bethlehem Golf Club in Bethlehem, PA on Friday, June 12^th. Our goal is to have a nice day where we can raise money for this great organization and also show that our local officials want to give back to the community.

At this point, we need golfers, hole sponsors, door prizes, raffle items and anything else we can come up with. Ed Norman, the Vice President of our Association, is coordinating the effort for us. You can feel free to contact Ed or myself – I hope that we can rally and even if you can just come golf yourself or bring some friends, a great time will be had by all!

If you have people from out of town that want to or need to stay, I can work with a local hotel to get a good rate for you too. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Bob can be reached by email at bfyrer [at] powerstride.net.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Luke Murray wrote:

When the World University Games kick off February 18 in Harbin, China, Atlantic District official Kate Connolly will be one of three American officials working the international event.

A Philadelphia resident, Connolly holds an IIHF license and was assigned to officiate the Four Nations Cup tournament this past November, held at the Olympic Training Facility in Lake Placid.

At that tournament, the 25-year old Connolly worked a USA-Canada tilt
highlighted by a United States win in a six-round shootout following an
overtime period.

Only three months earlier she skated several exhibition games between the
two teams during summertime friendly matches.

Connolly joins referees Tara Leighton of Fairbanks, Alaska and Laura
Johnson, of St. Louis, MO on the ice and Supervisors Stacey Livingston and
USA Hockey Director of Officiating Matt Leaf at the games from the United States.
The World University Games conclude Friday, February 27.

The Atlantic District female officials are also well-represented at the international adult women's levels this year with Kinnelon, NJ's Meghan Hishmeh traveling to Finland to work the IIHF Women's A Pool World Championships. Andrea
Weissman, also of Philadelphia will head to Austria for the IIHF's Division
I World Championships. Both Tournaments will take place in April.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike McDevitt, the Atlantic District Officiating Program Evaluation Coordinator, has been selected to officiate the 2009 ECHL All-Star Game Presented by Guardian Wear in Reading, PA on Wednesday, January 21. Mike will be a linesman, joining referee Shane Warschaw and linesman Mike Hamilton in the three-man on-ice crew.

According to the announcement from the ECHL:

McDevitt began officiating professional hockey in 1993-94 and has worked more than 900 regular season games in the ECHL and the American Hockey League while also working the Kelly Cup Playoffs and the Calder Cup Playoffs. He was a linesman in the 2002 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-20 World Championship and the Winter World University Games in 2000. McDevitt worked as a linesman for the 1999 Three Nations Under-20 Tournament and has been a referee in the Asian Professional Hockey League since 2004. He is an instructor at USA Hockey’s officiating camps where one of his students was All-Star referee Shane Warschaw.

Congratulations to Mike, Shane, and Mike, and good luck on Wednesday.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the unique opportunities that a few up-and-coming Atlantic District officials get each year is to participate in The Atlantic District Officiating Development Camp. This is a program that was launched in June 2004 by NHL Referee Ian Walsh. Ian grew up in the Atlantic District Officiating Program, lives in Philadelphia, and has been a member of the Atlantic District and USA Hockey instructional staffs for a long time.

Ian says that the goal of the Atlantic District Officiating Development Camp is simply, "to get male and female officials ready for USA Hockey Eastern Regional Camp."

Following the Example Set By Minnesota

The idea for the development camp came to Ian six seasons ago when he was working on the staff of the USA Hockey Western Regional Camp. At that camp, he was impressed with how well the officials from Minnesota performed. Ian said.

It wasn't like the kids from Minnesota were more physically talented than others, they were just well prepared. They came to camp in shape. {The men} were always clean shaven. They were never late for class. They did well on their runs. They all made a great first impression.

Participants in regional camps typically only get to attend once. Lots of officials have arrived in the past with great potential and some significant local experience, but little knowledge of what to expect at the camp. The officials from Minnesota all looked like they knew what to expect and how to behave in every part of the program-- as if they had been there before.

Ian did some investigation and found out that all of the officials nominated by the Minnesota District attended a pre-camp run by senior instructors from that area. The specific goal of this pre-camp was to inform Regional Camp nominees of what to expect, how to behave, and how to prepare to do well at the Western Regional Camp if they were selected.

Getting the Camp Off the Ground

Ian approached Atlantic District Referee-in-Chief Tony Mariconda with the idea of organizing a similar camp for Atlantic District officials, and Tony enthusiastically approved it. Ian worked on the camp concept during the 2003-2004 season and held the first Atlantic District Officiating Development Camp in June 2004. This year marked the fifth anniversary.

Continue reading "The Atlantic District Officiating Development Camp Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 6:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The hockey season is approaching quickly. We must begin to prepare for this upcoming season. As you know, the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Officials Association (ECHOA) has expanded its assignments for next season. We will be assigning:

1. Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (ECHA)
2. Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL)
3. Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL)

There will be many opportunities for our officials to work at this high level almost every weekend. If you were on the roster this past 2006-07 season, you are on the roster for this upcoming season. There is no need to tryout again. The ECHOA expects a full commitment to our assignments for the entire season from all officials.

For all new officials that are interested in officiating in the ECHOA: We will be conducting evaluations at the Atlantic District Level 4 Officiating Seminar in Lawrenceville, NJ. You must properly register to attend the seminar. Also, you must let either Mike or Shane know you will be attending the Level 4 seminar.

• Mike's email address: mcdevitt [at] echoa.org
• Shane's email address: shane [at] echoa.org

In addition, USA Hockey National Championships will be held here in the Atlantic District this season. So this is a great opportunity for officials. It's a win/win for everyone.

At this time, the Level 4 seminar is the only way try out for the ECHOA. Another tryout may be added in the future.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Attention new and current evaluators:

There will be a meeting for Level 3 or 4 officials seeking to become an Officiating Program Evaluator and for all current Evaluators on Wednesday, Oct. 11th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Lawrenceville Prep in Lawrenceville, NJ [ Directions ]. We will provide training for new Evaluators as well as updates for current Evaluators.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mid-Atlantic Hockey Officials Association (MAHOA) is an organization formed to develop service and promote collegiate officiating within The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II and III community in the tri-state region of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.

This group of officials will directly support the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference (DVCHC), the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (GNCHA) and the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) and will serve as a springboard for officials pursuing greater officiating challenges.

All experienced officials certified under USA Hockey (Levels 3 and 4) are encouraged to pursue membership. No other officiating organization experience is required. New members with no or minimal collegiate hockey officiating experience are encouraged to tryout.

The MAHOA collegiate organization is working with the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Officials Association (ECHOA) sharing the tryout session.

Tryouts are scheduled for:

• Tuesday August 8, 2006 (9:00pm to 11:00pm) at Iceline, West Chester, PA.
• Saturday August 12, 2006 (11:20am - 12:45pm) Face Off Circle, Warminster, PA.

Tryout pre-registration is required at www.echoa.org.

{Read on for answers to questions you may have about the tryout process.}

Continue reading "MAHOA Announces Tryouts for the 2006-07 Season" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The ECHOA (Eastern Collegiate Hockey Officials Association) will be conducting on-ice tryouts in early August for any official that is a USA Hockey-certified Level 3 or 4 official.

The ECHOA is the sanctioned officiating group for ACHA Division 1 college club hockey in this region of the country. In just two seasons, the ECHOA has become the leader in college officiating in the country. We have sent numerous officials to ACHA National Championships, USA Hockey Regional/National Camps, USA Hockey Junior Officiating Development Program and some have moved onto pro hockey.

Officials that work ECHOA League games will be evaluated by a ECHOA supervisor. ECHOA supervisors have experience from the highest levels of hockey. The supervisor staff have experience from the NHL, AHL, USA Hockey Officiating Program National Staff, IIHF, ECHL, UHL.

So if you want to officiate at the highest level. Go to http://www.echoa.org and register for a tryout.

If you have any questions, contact Mike McDevitt via email at mcdevittmike [at] hotmail.com.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda asked that the news of the following charitable event be posted here on AAHArefs.org:

Dear Friends,

We've all heard of situations where an unsuspecting individual gets struck down by disease without the necessary medical coverage to pay for lifesaving treatment. Such is the case of Joe McDevitt. Joe is the brother of Mike McDevitt, the Atlantic District Officiating Evaluation Program Coordinator.

"How can we help?" That is the common question we have heard from so many people. The answer has now been provided by "The Friends of Joe McDevitt." On October 15, 2005 an auction will be held at All Saints Parish Hall in Bridesburg, located on the corner of Thompson St. and Buckius St. The event, from 7:30 to 11:30 PM will include food, beer and set-ups plus a D.J. will entertain all night. For the price of $25.00 a person you can enjoy a great night as well as support a wonderful guy in his ongoing struggle for a health

Posted by Dave Aiello at 4:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The third annual Mike Condon Memorial Golf Tournament will take place on Columbus Day, Monday, October 10, 2005, at White Oaks Country Club in Newfield, NJ. The tournament will benefit Mike Condon's Children's Education Fund, a non-profit organization providing funding for the education of Mike's three children.

The information sent to us reads:

Three years ago, we lost a good friend and a great man. Mike Condon, a long time resident to Northeast Philadelphia, died suddenly after suffering a heart attack. Mike was a Father Judge graduate and a member of the Insulators Union Local 14. Mike was very dedicated to the Delaware Valley Community. He was well known in the hockey world from the youth level up to and including the professional ranks. Mike took pride in building youth athletes' character both on and off the ice. He was very active with the Frankford Boys Club and gave many hours of community service to this program. Mike touched many lives as a coach, hockey official, baseball umpire, teacher, mentor and friend.

When: October 10, 2005

Where: Golf & Dinner at White Oaks Country Club

$ 140 Registration Includes:

• Round of Golf at White Oaks Country Club (Includes green fees, cart & lunch)
  
• Refreshments on the course
  
• Full buffet dinner & one hour open bar
  
• Great tournament gifts & prizes
  

Schedule of Events

• Registration: 11:00 AM
  
  
• Shot Gun Start: 12:30 PM
  
  
• Format: 4 Man Scramble
  

To receive further information, please contact Linda Pusatere at
lindabbbs@hotmail.com or call 609-828-5994 or for more information visit
http://mcfund.tripod.com/.

Please make checks payable to:

Mike Condon Children Educational Fund

PO Box 123

Glenolden, PA 19036

Address of location for golf and dinner:

White Oaks Country Club

2951 Dutch Mill Road

Newfield, NJ 08344

Phone: 856-697-8900

Posted by Dave Aiello at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dan Fischer told us that Jay Ippolito, an Atlantic District official, has experienced a severe brain injury and has been in Hackensack University Medical Center for about three weeks. Dan said:

It looks like Jay has turned the corner, and has begun the long road to recovery. This has caused a great financial hardship to Jay and his family. At our {Northeast Ice Hockey Officials Association} meeting, the hat was passed and the proceeds were presented to Jay.... He was very appreciative to everyone. Our work is not done.

Eric Davis, the rink manager at {Mackay Park Arena in Englewood, NJ}, was kind enough to donate use of the arena for a fundraising hockey game. You can now bring the whole family.

Date: Friday, November 28, 2003, at 9PM

Location: John T. Wright Arena at Mackay Park, Englewood, NJ

Suggested donation: $25.00

Update: If you can't make it for the game, please send any donations to:

Elanina Ippolito
3-05 28th St.
Fairlawn, NJ 07410

Donate what you can. We have the ice as long as we need it. Please let me know again if you are available to play or ref. Bring a dinner food or desert, and a beverage....

See you on the 28th!

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A one night Training Camp for the officiating staff of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League and Metropolitan Junior Hockey League is scheduled for Saturday, September 6, 2003, from 6:30 to 10:00pm, at Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, NJ. This training camp is manditory for all league officials and candidates, and is open to any Level 3 and 4 officials who have an interest in working in these leagues.

This training camp is not directly related to the Atlantic District Level 4 Officiating Seminar taking place on Sunday, September 7. The leagues set up their training camp on the night before the Level 4 Seminar as a convenience for those officials who also be attending the Level 4 Seminar. Overnight accomodation arrangements for out of town officials may be made when registering for the training camp.

For more information, read the memo from Bill Bredin, Director of Officiating and Discipline for the Atlantic Junior Hockey League and the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League (provided in PDF/Adobe Acrobat format). Contact Brian Hicks by email at MJHLintern@aol.com with any further questions.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The second annual Mike Condon Memorial Golf Tournament will take place on Columbus Day, Monday, October 13, 2003, at RiverWinds Golf Club in West Deptford, NJ. The tournament will benefit Mike Condon's Children's Education Fund, a non-profit organization providing funding for the education of Mike's three children.

The golf tournament will be in a 2-man scramble format. The cost for the tournament is $140 per golfer. For your support, you will receive 18 holes of golf with cart, box lunch, on-course refreshments, buffet dinner, and prizes. Dinner is available separately for a $60 donation. Tournament sponsorship opportunities are also available. Donations to the fund from those unable to attend are welcomed.

For more information, please read the golf tournament information brochure (provided in PDF/Adobe Acrobat format). Contact Linda Pusatere by email at lindabbbs@hotmail.com, or call her at 609-828-5994 with any additional questions.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jack Lally told us that Brian Benoff, an Atlantic District official, recently learned that his two year old daughter Madeline Benoff has a serious form of cancer. Our local officiating community has responded and organized two fund raising events in Central New Jersey for the family's benefit.

• On Friday, July 25, from 8:00 to 10:00pm, a family-oriented public skating party will take place at Bridgewater Sports Arena. Admission is $10 per family.

• On Saturday, August 9, at 7:00pm, a benefit hockey game will take place at Pro Skate USA in South Brunswick, NJ. A team of Atlantic District officials will take on the Port Authority Police Hockey Team. The suggested donation for admission to this event is $10.
  

Both rinks have generously donated the ice time, and proceeds from these two events will go directly to help Brian and his family.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 3:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda reports that The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the East Coast Hockey League have offered a special discount to Atlantic District officials for the Bullies - Reading Royals game on Sunday, March 30 at 3:00pm. Tickets are available to Atlantic District officials, their families, and friends for half price: $6.00 each.

Tickets to the Bullies - Royals game include free admission to the New Jersey High School Hockey All-Star Game scheduled for 11:00am that day. As an added bonus, Tony is trying to arrange a pre-game meeting with members of the ECHL Officiating Staff.

To purchase tickets, call the Bullies directly at 609-348-7848, ask for Vince Occhipinti, and mention the Atlantic District Officiating Program.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joe Franchetti sent us an announcement of a fundraiser for Ed O'Donnell's family that will take place on Saturday, March 1, in Mantua, NJ. According to the announcement Joe sent us:

Please join us in remembering Ed O'Donnell. We are hosting a benefit in memory of Ed O'Donnell and would love for all to attend.

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2003

Time: 7pm - 11pm

Place: Incarnation Church Hall, Main St. (off of Route 45), Mantua, NJ

Tickets are $30 per person / $50 per couple in advance, or $35 per person at the door. For more information read the flyer posted on AAHArefs or contact Joe Franchetti at jfran@verizon.net.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tom Brake writes, "From January 31 to February 3, 2003, the Atlantic District will be hosting an Invitational National Championships for Sled Hockey. We are looking for officials to volunteer their time for this worthy cause."

"We will be having adult as well as youth teams coming in from around the country and would like to show what a good officating program we have. I will start to schedule these games in January. Please contact me at tbrake@snip.net if you would to participate "

Posted by Dave Aiello at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District announced that the U.S. National Team will take on Drexel University at First Union Center in Philadelphia, on Saturday, September 21, at 1:00pm. "Tickets are available for $10 each, with all proceeds going to the Mike Condon Childrens' Education Fund.... For ticket requests, please email us at hocky@erols.com."

Additional information about the day's events at First Union Center, which will also include a coaching workshop put on by USA Hockey, are available at the Atlantic District Web Site, http://www.atlantic-district.org/.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rusty Friess wrote, "In an effort to keep Mike Condon's memory alive and to help his three children, we've put together a golf tournament in his name. Mike was always there for his friends and now it's time for his friends to be there for his family. Mike has three children and all proceeds from this tournament will go to
support their education."

"On Monday, October 14, 2002, The First Annual Mike Condon Memorial Golf Tournament will take place at the White Oaks Country
Club in Newfield, New Jersey. It is only a few minutes over the Commodore Barry Bridge off of Route 40."

Read on for more details about the golf tournament....

Continue reading "Mike Condon Memorial Golf Tournament Scheduled for October 14" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)