Sunday’s game between the Surrey Eagles and the Langley Rivermen marked the first Junior A game in Canada called up by four women.
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The BCHL game Sunday between the Surrey Eagles and the Langley Rivermen was an orderly affair.
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Considering that the Eagles’ 4-3 win at South Surrey Arena required overtime and a six-round shootout, the contest was completed in a respectable two hours and 30 minutes. There were five penalties and all were minors.
The game is drawing attention because it was the first Junior A tilt in Canada with an all-female umpire team, with Grace Barlow and Megan Howes umpiring and Melissa Brunn and Colleen Geddes working the lines. BCHL Director of Refereeing and Player Safety Brad Lazarowich says how you called should go directly to who called you.
“What I liked is that they didn’t get in the way of a really good hockey game,” said Lazarowich, who handled 1,971 regular-season games during his 30-year career as an NHL linesman. “I don’t know how many games we screwed up over the years. There’s a serious penalty or offside or icing that shouldn’t be like this, and suddenly people realize that you’re out there too. Every time the fans in the building think, ‘That team really screwed things up,’ it’s not a good thing. “
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Lazarowich was satisfied enough with the procedures that he plans to give Barlow, Howes, Brunn and Geddes more games together as a team. They are scheduled to work on a game at the BCHL Showcase, which sees the league’s 18 teams starting Wednesday based at the Chilliwack Coliseum for five days of action. It is intended to give professional and college scouts a better opportunity to see all of the league’s players in one place.
After that, Lazarowich is considering giving foursome games in the Interior and on Vancouver Island. It will also allow them to work on games with other crews.
The four women have refereed matches at various levels. Howes and Brunn had worked for the BCHL before this season, while Barlow and Geddes are in their first seasons getting games in the league.
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The Showcase game was going to be their first together, but Lazarowich wondered if that would have created additional pressure, considering the additional scouts who attended.
“I still wanted to try them out and there’s this rivalry between Langley and Surrey,” he continued. “And they showed they could handle it. I want to give you the opportunity to feel even more comfortable within our league. I want to give them the opportunity to work in different buildings. ”
Barlow from Vancouver, Howes from Burnaby, Brunn from Kelowna and Geddes from Abbotsford have known each other for years and worked together on various levels, so “there was some camaraderie and knowledge of the tendencies of people on the ice,” according to Brunn. .
“I don’t remember if there had been a game with all four before, but there was one with three of the four,” Brunn added.
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He said that on the way to the ice they stopped in the tunnel and agreed that “there is no going back now”, before the initial warm-up lap.
“As much as we were nervous, as soon as the puck is released, it’s another game and you have to do your job,” Brunn said.
Brunn is originally from Kamloops. He plays hockey and took to officiating seven years ago to get some extra time on the ice. Their goal is to work on more women’s games from the University of Canada West, as well as those from BCHL as the season unfolds.
“Unfortunately, the national U-18 tournament was canceled,” Brunn said, noting the women’s event scheduled for Dawson Creek from October 31 to November 6 that was canceled due to COVID-19, “but we still have a lot of high-level hockey. level we can do. We will have the opportunity to hone our skills. “
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The BCHL has company when it comes to opening opportunities for female officials. On Saturday, Katie Guay became the first woman to referee an AHL game when she won 2-1 at Wilkes-Barre / Scranton (Penn.) Over Lehigh Valley (Penn). Guay, a former NCAA player from Westfield, Mass., Is among 10 women hired to referee or work lines at the AHL this season.
Alex Clarke of Weyburn, Sask., Became the first woman to work the lines in WHL history. when he made a game on September 24, and Kirsten Welsh of Blackstock, Ontario, earned that honor at the OHL September 30th.
Dan Hanoomansingh, Refereeing Manager for Hockey Canada, explained on his website : “A few years ago, we were celebrating when a single woman broke into a Junior A or B league. Now, we see various officials breaking down those barriers at all levels. Ultimately, we must aim for the proportional representation of women in the youth and professional leagues. These women remain an anomaly and we must celebrate their achievements, but we must continue to create more opportunities for women to excel in the craft. “
Twitter: @SteveEwen
Reference-theprovince.com