IMPORTANT DATES
AUGUST
25 - Level 3 and 4 seminar at UAA
26 - Free skate for officials at UAA Wells Fargo Arena, 5-6 p.m.
SEPTEMBER
10 - AHO Board of Directors meeting, 6 p.m., Radio Espresso, northeast corner of Northern Lights Blvd. and Boniface.
21, 22 - Returning Level 1,2,3 seminar at UAA
OCTOBER
8 - AHO Board of Directors meeting, 6 p.m., Radio Espresso, northeast corner of Northern Lights Blvd. and Boniface.
19, 20 - New Level 1 seminar at UAA
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THE BIRTH OF A NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Anchorage Hockey Officials' online newsletter. AHO has created this newsletter as a way to stay in touch with members and distribute valuable information. We hope to have a monthly publication that includes news items, a calendar and regular features such as "Behind the Stripes" which will profile a member each month.
We hope you find the newsletter useful and welcome any comments you may have. You can contact newsletter editor Ben Harris at . Let us know your thoughts and ideas or pass along items to include in the newsletter.
-- Ben Harris, newsletter editor
FALL SEMINARS SCHEDULED
Fewer certification seminars are being offered in Anchorage this year, meaning officials have fewer dates to attend a seminar. Because space for seminars is limited, officials are advised to schedule attendance at a seminar date soon to assure a seat. Pre-registration is required. Current certifications for all officials expire Nov. 30th. Contact Connie Hardwick at 360-7750 to schedule your seminar.
Seminar dates for Anchorage
AUGUST 25 - Level 3 and 4, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at UAA
SEPTEMBER 21, 22 - Returning Level 1, 2, 3; 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 21, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 22 at UAA
OCTOBER 19, 20 - New Level 1, 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 19, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at UAA
NOVEMBER 9, 10 - Returning Level 1, 2, 3; 6 to 10 p.m. Nov. 9, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 20 at UAA
See the seminar link at hockeyref.net for a complete schedule.
SKATE FOR FREE
AHO has reserved an hour of open ice time at UAA's Wells Fargo Arena Sunday, Aug. 26th, 5-6 p.m. No sticks allowed and helmets are required. Shake the rust off and get out for a good warm-up skate before the new season begins.
USA HOCKEY OFFICIALS REGISTRATION ONLINE
Returning officials will not receive a registration packet from USA Hockey this year. Instead, they'll receive a postcard reminding them to register online at the USA Hockey Web site. After registering online, officials will receive a passcode to take the open book exam online. Costs to register this year are Level 1- $35, Level 2 - $55, Level 3 - $75 and Level 4 - $95. All members must also pay a $10 Alaska State Hockey Association fee.
GEORGE BENSON RECEIVES USAH HONORS
AHO official George Benson received the Chet Stewart Award at USA Hockey's Annual Congress in June for his contributions to the USA Hockey Officiating Education Program. Benson began his officiating career in 1985 and has served as a mentor for two generations of Alaskan officials. He also served as Alaska's evaluation coordinator of officials from 1993-2004. Read more about Benson and his 20-plus years as an official.
FEW RULE CHANGES FOR 2007-08 SEASON
USA Hockey's Board of Directors adopted few rule changes for the 2007-08 season. Changes primarily affect equipment and ice markings. Here are some of the more noteworthy changes:
- Girls under-10 players will no longer be required to have mouth guards.
- New dimensions for goalkeeper's equipment will be enforced in 2009-10 with changes highly recommended for the prior seasons
- USAH also adopted new ice markings in an attempt to standardize these for all levels of hockey.
- Rule 639 (c) no longer requires that a player be fouled directly from behind on a penalty shot tripping situation. The player now has to be fouled "from behind or diagonally from behind ( beyond the fouled player's peripheral vision)."
AHO DISPUTES DEPT. OF LABOR CLAIM
Last year, the Alaska Department of Labor determined that referees who work games scheduled by AHO are employees of AHO. The Department disputes AHO's claim that referees work games as independent contractors.
AHO has appealed the Department's claim with the Superior Court of Alaska. A time frame for resolution of this matter is not known.
Should the court(s) ultimately decide in favor of the Department's decision, AHO will have to pay back fees for unemployment insurance and also start withholding from future referee pay. This will greatly impact game fees and handling of referee pay for hockey officials as well as officials for all sports in Alaska.
AHO believes the Department's claim unjustly impacts hockey and all amateur sports in Alaska. The AHO Board of Directors is seeking legislative assistance in resolving this matter, and encourages other members to contact their legislators for support.
The Department's latest decision can be read online in PDF format here.
NEW AHO OFFICERS ELECTED
Three AHO members were selected for Board of Directors positions following elections at AHO's annual meeting in May. Two members already serving on the board have moved to new positions. Board members conduct monthly meetings the second Monday of the month. Meetings are open to the membership. See the "Important Dates" listing in this newsletter for dates and times of meetings. Here is the AHO Board of Directors:
Gary Hardwick - President
Thomas Huling - Vice president
Joe Barth - Treasurer
Ben Harris - Secretary
Members at large
Kent Petty
Dave Hurst
Doug Andrews
Mike Burgess
Will Moran
Chad Colliander
BRANDON COPE DIES IN ACCIDENT
AHO official Brandon Cope was killed in an ATV accident on the Glenn Highway July 20th. The 17-year-old had been an official for about three years.
HIs family wrote, "He was blessed with an ear for music and a highly creative mind: He played the viola and wrote poetry, exploring the world in which he lived, describing it in great detail from his perspective. He had an enduring love for hockey, as a player and referee, and especially enjoyed the Mites he refereed for. He also enjoyed soccer and loved four-wheeling." His obituary can be read online at adn.com.
This newsletter is distributed to members of Anchorage Hockey Officials. If you wish to have your name removed from the distribution list contact the newsletter editor.
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BEHIND THE STRIPES
Referee profile
BEN HARRIS
AGE: 42
YEARS OFFICIATING: 5
OCCUPATION: Page designer/editor at the Anchorage Daily News
Q. Why did you become an official?
A. I wanted to know the rules better, plus I wanted a way to remain active in hockey when the time comes that I decide to quit playing. I also enjoy getting some extra ice time.
Q. How did you get involved in hockey?
A. I didn't have any interest in hockey until I was 28 and moved to Grand Forks, N.D. to work for the newspaper there. Our editor used to walk through the newsroom with free tickets to University of North Dakota games. It was minus 35 degrees outside, there wasn't much else to do.
I got to see the nation's best college hockey team play equally great teams in the WCHA. I was soon hooked.
When I moved to Alaska I learned that my workplace had a hockey team. I taught myself how to skate, took a class at UAA and joined an adult team. A couple years later I signed on as a referee.
Q. What do you enjoy most about being an official?
A. I enjoy how officiating keeps me sharp by requiring fast decision-making. I find this helpful in other aspects of life.
It's fun watching players and teams develop and grow throughout the season.
I also like the camaraderie. I've worked games long enough now to know many of the players and coaches by name. They're part of my hockey family.
Q. What was your wildest officiating experience?
A.There have been several, but one stands out. I was working an adult game. We sent a couple players to the penalty bench for being not so nice to each other. I made the drop at the faceoff and looked up to see one of the players in the box trying to climb over the glass and calling out the other guy on the other bench while swinging his stick over the head of the scorekeeper. We tossed the bad guy, but two more fights erupted.
By the time all was over, one of the spectators felt threatened because she heard a player calling his buddies on the phone to rumble after the game. She called the police. Not a pretty scene.
Q. What else do you do for fun?
A. I like to explore remote rivers of Alaska by raft or kayak in the summer. I also like to ride my road bike and take local day hikes, but haven't done much of those lately because I've been working on house projects that never seem to end. |
