Earlier today, USA Hockey announced that Leo Boylan of Chalfont, PA has been appointed the new Referee-in-Chief of the Atlantic District.

Leo Boylan

Leo brings a wealth of on and off-ice officiating knowledge and experience to the position which will help continue to strengthen and develop the district and USA Hockey. He has been a member of the officiating staff of the American Hockey League and the ECAC Hockey League for many years. He also works with the off-ice officiating staff for the Philadelphia Flyers on behalf of the National Hockey League. Leo has also worked international hockey as an IIHF-licensed official.

Leo received the Mike Condon Award for Outstanding Service to the American Hockey League in 2008.

The Atlantic District and the District Officiating Staff would like to congratulate Leo as he takes office.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tom Koester wrote:

Dear Members of the Atlantic District:

The Atlantic District is now accepting applications for the position of Referee-in-Chief.

The Atlantic District is now accepting applications for the position of Atlantic District Referee-In-Chief, which was formerly held by Tony Mariconda.

The duties of the Atlantic District Referee-In-Chief are below for your review.

Interested applicants are to email the following information to Tom Koester, Atlantic District President, at tkoes3 [at] aol.com.

The deadline for receiving applications will be October 20, 2011.

Your application should include your name, address, phone numbers, email address, short description of education and profession, your officiating resume, and any information you believe would be helpful as the Atlantic District Referee-In-Chief.

Your application also needs to include answers to the following questions in 200 words or less.

A.) The local officiating community has many qualified officials that are available and willing to participate in the program. These experienced officials are waiting for the next Referee-In-Chief to reach out and engage them. How do you plan on gaining their trust and commitment to contribute to the Atlantic District Officiating program for the long haul?

B.) How would you improve our current seminars to make them more interesting and informative?

On October 21, a district committee will be convened to review the applications. The committee will notify the individuals, who they believe are best suited for this position, hold interviews with them and then make a recommendation of three persons to USA Hockey. The final selection for the new Atlantic District Referee-In-Chief will be made by USA Hockey.

Thank you for your interest and best of luck to all that apply!

Sincerely,
Thomas C. Koester
Atlantic District President
USA Hockey Director

Continue reading "Atlantic District Seeking Applicants for District Referee-in-Chief Position" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program maintains an Assignors List called Officiating Assignors for Youth and Junior Hockey Programs in the Atlantic District. This list is maintained by Dave Aiello and Dave Zulla, who manage communications for the Officiating Program.

As a result of the Referee-in-Chief vacancy, all requests for Assignors List changes that are not part of the annual update that comes from the League Referees-in-Chief should be submitted to support [at] aaharefs.org.

When change requests are received, they will be acted on in the following manner:

• Changes will be confirmed with a third-party such as the league referee-in-chief, league president, or another recognized authority within the District.
• Once the change is confirmed, the Assignors List will be updated, and change will be published on the AAHArefs Facebook Page and on the AAHArefs Twitter Account.

This policy is subject to change after the new Referee-in-Chief has been selected.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact Dave Aiello, the District Officiating Program Database Coordinator at daiello [at] rinkatlas.com.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 3:39 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)

We are very sorry to report the passing of Ken Tew, veteran ice hockey official and assignor in the Chester County, Pennsylvania area. According to his obituary:

Ken was an aircraft pilot for Conoco Oil Company and later the DuPont Company. He retired in 1994. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Margo Tew (nee Bamford); father of Todd Tew and his wife Vicki and Chad Tew; son of Eula Smith; grandfather of Isaiah Tew, Mitchell Tew and Joseph Tew and brother of Larry Tew.

Family and friends are invited to a funeral service at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at the Longwood Funeral Home of Matthew Genereux, 913 East Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, PA 19348. Visitation will be from 6:00 PM until 7:00 PM on the same day.

Flowers are being arranged by Kennett Florist, 610.444.6040

The full obituary and an online condolence book are available on LongwoodFuneralHome.com.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:01 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)

We are pleased to announce that Bill Maurer will be the new Atlantic District Officiating Evaluation Program Coordinator. He has recently served as the Evaluation Program Liaison - South for our District. Bill also brings a wealth of other on-ice and off-ice experience to this position.

Please welcome him and give him support and cooperation as he takes on his new role.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are sorry to report that Bob Triebe had an accident while riding his motorcycle on May 21. Bob had to be medevacked to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ and has been in the Intensive Care Unit since then. Due to the risk of infection, he will not be able to have visitors until further notice.

Bob's family says that they deeply appreciate the concern of the officials who have already contacted them to offer prayers and support. They will continue to update us on Bob's condition, and we will pass on that information as we receive it.

If you want to send a card, the address is Robert Triebe, Patient, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, One Robert Wood Johnson Place, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903.

Update, Saturday, May 28: On Friday doctors determined that Bob has pneumonia in both lungs, he had developed an infection in incisions that he had from previous surgeries, and he had some previously undetected injuries that needed to be repaired surgically. As a result, his condition is considered "very very serious" but doctors remain hopeful.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congratulations to Ian Walsh!  On Friday April 15, Ian officiated Game 2 of the Vancouver Canucks - Chicago Black Hawks Western Conference Quarterfinal Series.  Here's a photo of Ian controlling an altercation after the whistle in the Vancouver zone late in the first period (photo courtesy of Versus and the National Hockey League).

Ian Walsh in Vancouver on April 15, 2011 (photo courtesy of Versus and the National Hockey League).

According to the National Hockey League Officials Association Website, Ian has worked over 400 games in the National Hockey League since his first game in October 2000. He worked his first NHL playoff game on April 16, 2009.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are very sorry to report the passing of Ron Speece, veteran ice hockey official, hockey organizer and coach from the Lebanon Valley, PA area. Ron had dedicated over 49 years to the sport of ice hockey and was known as the "Daddy of Hockey" by those with whom he had played or coached. He was instrumental in helping to found the local officials' association in that area.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service at 10:30 AM Friday, March 25, 2011 with visitation prior from 9:30 AM at Bible Fellowship Church, 1635 Mill Road, Lebanon.

Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made to:

• Bible Fellowship Church, 1635 Mill Road, Lebanon, PA 17042, or to
• Word of Life Fellowship, P. O. Box 600, Schroon Lake, NY 12870.

Condolences may be shared at BuseFuneralHome.com.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a boy! Ryan Barling was born to Carl Barling and his wife on Tuesday afternoon, January 25th. Ryan weighed in at 7 pounds 13 ounces and is 20 1/4 inches tall.

Everyone is doing fine. Congratulations to Carl and his family.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congratulations to Atlantic District Official Dave Brown. Dave was selected to officiate the2010-2011 IIHF World Junior Championships in Buffalo, NY.

Dave is shown here during the gift exchange between Canada and the Czech Republic in their game on December 28 that was televised in North America by TSN and the NHL Network. (Photo courtesy of the NHL Network.)

Dave serves on the District Officiating Staff as the Northern Area Liaison for the Atlantic District Evaluation Program. He is also the president of the Metropolitan New York-New Jersey Chapter of NIHOA. He officiates at the pro, collegiate, high school, and youth hockey levels, and works as a professional firefighter in New Jersey.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a girl! Ryan Honig's wife Kara delivered a baby girl. Hailey Honig was born on October 29th at 2:38 am, weighing 6.8 pounds.

Both Kara and Hailey are doing great!! Congratulations to Ryan and his family.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda is making steady progress now. The feeding tube has been removed and he is able eat soft foods. He has started Physical Therapy and is working with small weights every day. Short walks are now part of the daily regimen too. Chemotherapy is still upcoming, and that should start soon.

The surgeon has cleared him to travel to the USA Hockey Annual Congress in Colorado Springs.  From there he and his wife will go on to visit the grandkids in Oklahoma for a few days.  He is really looking forward to that trip!

Thank you for all your kind thoughts and prayers!

Posted by Dave Aiello at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda, Referee-in-Chief of the USA Hockey Atlantic District, is battling cancer again. This time, however, surgery was not able to clear his body of disease. As a result, after Tony recovers from this most recent surgery, he will undergo chemotherapy. We know the challenges going forward are great but with treatment and support we pray that Tony will recover.

We will continue to keep Tony and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:06 AM | 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)

Attention potential Level 3 and Level 4 officials:

The Atlantic District will be hosting the following USA Hockey 2010 National Championships this season from April 7th to April 11th:

• Tier II Youth 14U Nationals at the Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ
• Tier II Youth 16U Nationals at Ice Line in West Chester, PA

Both of these Nationals will be in the new multi-state format (rather than by District as in the past), and so they have the potential to be very large Tournaments. As a result, we will need many qualified Level 3 and Level 4 officials to work at these sites.

In order to be considered as a Referee at Nationals this season, you must be a completely-registered Level 4 official by December 31, 2009. In order to be considered as a Linesman, you must be completely registered at Level 3 or Level 4 by Dec. 31, 2009. Note that successful registration at Level 3 or Level 4 is no guarantee of any National Tournament assignments.

If you have a desire to work in these Tournaments, be sure to register at the proper Level for the 2009-2010 season. If there are questions, please contact Tony Mariconda now at tonyrefx3 [at] aol.com.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda wrote, "I am pleased to announce that Matthew McNulty 2nd was born on Monday May 25th at 10:43pm. He weighed in at 8 pounds 12 ounces and 22 1/4 inches."

"Mother and son are doing great."

Congratulations to Matt McNulty and his family!

Posted by Dave Aiello at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda wrote:

Each year, the Milt Kaufman Award is presented to someone at each USA Hockey Officiating Instructor Training program. Milt Kaufman was the original Camp Director for this program when it first started in the mid-80’s. The criteria for this award embodies the characteristics best displayed by Milt: Leadership, Class, Character, Integrity and Friendship.

It is my pleasure to report that the winner of this prestigious award at the recent 2009 Eastern Instructor Training camp at Lake Placid was Atlantic District Official Rob Navickas.

Congratulations to Rob on receiving this honor!

Posted by Dave Aiello at 2:23 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)

Tony Mariconda wrote, "Congratulations to Dave Aiello and his wife Kathleen on the birth of their second son. Peter Aiello was born at 8:05am on January 21, 2009. He was 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 1/2-inches at birth."

Posted by Dave Aiello at 7:40 PM | 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)

Tony Mariconda wrote: "I am happy to report that Marty Maglio has accepted the position of Atlantic District Officiating Seminar Coordinator effective immediately."

Marty Maglio
110 Juniper Court
Glen Mills, PA 19342
marty.maglio [at] verizon.net
610-742-7251

"I am also happy to report that Vince Scriboni has accepted the position of Atlantic District Officiating Seminar Liaison – South effective immediately. Vince will take over Marty's former role with seminar administration in the southern part of our District. He joins Carl Barling, who is our Seminar Liaison in the northern part of the District."

Vince Scriboni
134 Hidden Pond Way
West Chester, PA 19382
Iceref413 [at] verizon.net
215-896-7443

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tony Mariconda wrote, "I am disappointed to announce that I have received an unsolicited message from Shane Hanlon indicating that has resigned as our District Seminar Coordinator effective immediately. I want to thank Shane for all the time and effort he has put into helping make our seminar program one of the best in all of USA Hockey."

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

Many officials have requested contact information for assignors for the youth hockey programs in the Atlantic District. These assignor lists are provided to us by the Atlantic District member leagues:

• Atlantic Youth Hockey League
• Atlantic Junior Hockey League / Metropolitan Junior Hockey League
• New Jersey Youth Hockey League
• Delaware Valley Hockey League and Pennsylvania High Schools

Continue reading "Officiating Assignors for Youth and Junior Hockey Programs in the Atlantic District" »

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:00 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)

Tony Mariconda wrote, "Congratulations to three of our top Atlantic District officials on their selection to work Medal Round games at 2008 IIHF World Championships:"

• Megan Hishmeh worked as a Linesman in the Bronze Medal Game at the Women's World Championships in Harbin, China.
• Dave Brown worked as a Linesman in the Gold Medal Game at the U18 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
• Bob Ritchie worked as a Referee in the Gold Medal Game at the U18 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Atlantic District Officiating Program is establishing the position of District Evaluation Program Liaison. We want to enhance our Evaluation Program by providing officials with a local contact person. We expect that this will increase the number of officials who will request and receive evaluations.

The duties of the District Officiating Evaluation Liaisons will be:

• To be the local contact for the Evaluation Program.
• To coordinate game evaluation requests with the on-ice officials.
• To help recruit local senior-level officials to become members of the District Evaluation Program.
• Report to the District Evaluation Coordinator and the District Referee-in-Chief.

The District Officiating Evaluation Liaisons and their areas of responsibility are as follows:

• Evaluation Liaison- North will be responsible for New Jersey: Dave Brown has accepted this position.
• Evaluation Liaison- South will be responsible for Pennsylvania and Delaware: Bill Maurer has accepted this position.

We want to thank Dave and Bill for volunteering for this position. Please give them your support during the coming season.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)