ANCHORAGE ADULT HOCKEY LEAGUE
POWELL MANAGES HOT HEADS, AGING RINKS TO RUN NATION'S 6th LARGEST ADULT LEAGUE
Annetta Powell shuffled her feet onto the ice to award trophies and T-shirts to finalists in the Anchorage Adult Hockey League championships earlier this month. A hulking 6-foot-plus-tall player on the losing team approached Powell at game's end and barked out his displeasure with the the game's officiating. The 5-foot-1-inch-tall coordinator for the AAHL held her ground as she explained to the player that the game was over and that the referee's decisions were final. The player argued some more, eventually skating away in disgust.

Powell dismissed the encounter as just another day at work. "You get used to it, people screaming at you. I've got thick enough skin that I can scream back at 'em or walk away."

Powell has had her share of verbal exchanges with players during her 15 years as league coordinator for the AAHL and the city's rinks at Boeke and Dempsey-Anderson arenas. She says 99 percent of the players have no axes to grind, but it's that other one percent who get wound up. "They have a bad day at work and come down to the rink," she said. "You appreciate their passion, but you wish you could control it." STORY CONTINUES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AHO MEMBERS TO ELECT NEW BOARD MEMBERS
All AHO members are encouraged to attend the annual meeting and elections at 10 a.m. on May 10, at the Boys and Girls Club, 2300 W. 36th Ave. (see map). The Board of Director's vice president, secretary and three at-large positions will be chosen during the elections. The Board sets association policies, coordinates efforts with player associations, assists in membership educational programs, hires schedulers, establishes rates for pay and much more. Members must arrive by 10:15 a.m. to receive a ballot.

Members listed below have been nominated for positions. Members can also elect write-in candidates.
Vice president: Thomas Huling
Secretary: Ben Harris
At large members (three to be chosen): Bret Bohn, James Curtin, Su Flanders, Dave Hurst, Will Moran, Rosalie Nadeau, Kent Petty, Scott Sivulich, Steve Woods, Mark Weisman and Kalvin Young

MEMBER ISSUES
BOARD APPROVES PAY INCREASE FOR 2008-09 SEASON
The AHO Board of Directors decided at its March meeting to increase referees' pay. The new rates and pay scale will take effect with the start of the 2008-09 season starting in September. A chart showing officials' new pay scale will be posted at that time.
A copy of the board's letter sent to leagues and associations with the new rates can be found online here.

RULE CHANGES
ALASKA COMP. TEAMS TO TEST NEW ICING CALL
The comp. hockey council of the Alaska State Hockey Association has decided to be part of a pilot program to test an alternative to the current icing-permitted-when-shorthanded rule.

Beginning in September, icing will not be automatically waived off for shorthanded teams in youth comp. divisions. Penalized teams will have to play the puck. The rules will revert back to the current USA Hockey national rules for state tournaments. No changes are currently planned for house teams.

AHO will keep members posted with specifics about the rule change and developments in this online newsletter and at fall seminars.

INJURED RESERVE
ROBERT JOHNSTON BREAKS ANKLE, OUT UNTIL NOVEMBER
AHO referee Robert Johnston caught a skate blade edge in a groove, "did the chicken dance to keep (his) balance" and broke his ankle during an adult game in February. He ended up in the hospital with a fractured ankle and now has three screws in place to hold the bones together.

The injury has kept Johnston off the ice and unable to work his day job as a U.S. Post Office letter carrier. Hobbling around on crutches, Johnston returned to work assigned a desk position in mid April.

Johnston is in physical therapy and says he likely won't return to the ice until November.

MISCELLANY
SCOTTY GOMEZ FOUNDATION TO FIX UP NEIGHBORHOOD RINK
The Scotty Gomez Foundation is donating up to $50,000 to help rebuild the Tikishla Park hockey rink in Airport Heights, where the NHL star grew up. "This is where Scott literally learned how to skate," father and foundation member Carlos Gomez told KTUU. The total cost for the project is $200,00. Read more at KTUU's Web site.

You are being sent this e-mail newsletter from Anchorage Hockey Officials. If you do not wish to receive any future mailings, send an e-mail to newsletter-unsubscribe@hockeyref.net (no message or subject field required to unsubscribe).

For comments or questions about this newsletter, contact newsletter editor Ben Harris at bharris2@acsalaska.net.

BEHIND THE STRIPES
Referee profile



KIRK BUTCHER

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AGE: 46
YEARS OFFICIATING: 9
OCCUPATION:Human resources for Nabors Alaska Drilling

Q: How did you get started in hockey?
A: I grew up playing in the Muldoon area of East Anchorage. Believe it or not, we had school teams even in elementary school. Unfortunately, my youth career was cut short with a family move to Nome at the start of 8th grade. I started playing again in 1982.

Q: Were any of your siblings involved in hockey?
A: I was the youngest of five. My second to the oldest brother played on comp teams that traveled a bit. We had an unfinished basement with a chest freezer that served as a goal. This is where my goaltending career started.(Real pucks!)

Q: What's different about hockey in Anchorage today from what you saw when growing up here?
A: Growing up, comp teams meant a lot more. It was something that you worked for and traveling was a reward. It seems that the comp league is far too diluted now. A few years ago, if a player got cut, the response was to start a new team rather than work harder to make the team next year. People complain about not being competitive with outside teams, but it won't change until we figure out a way to consolidate the best players on one team.

Q: How did you get started as a referee?
A: I started with the Boys and Girls Club. They used to train and schedule their own officials.

Q: Why did you become a referee?
A: I had played for most of my life, coached for 15 years and kind of figured that it was my turn. Again, I was involved with the Boys and Girls Club and it always seemed that games were delayed because there would not be any officials. I thought it would be a good idea to get certified and keep my gear in the car just in case. Also my oldest son, Cory, was reffing so it was something else we could do together.

Q: Does anything stand out as especially memorable in your work as a referee?
A: Nothing really stands out in particular. I've had the privilege of refereeing games at all levels of competition, from mites/beginner adults to Midget tier 1 Regionals/Summer "elite" league with college and professional players. I have seen horrific injuries, incredible plays, "experienced" first goals. Hockey is a great sport where something memorable happens almost every game.
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