It’s been said that the best officials are the ones you don’t notice.
But it was impossible not to notice the crew working Sunday’s Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) game between the Saskatoon Quakers and Regina Silver Foxes.
It was the first time in PJHL history that an all-female crew officiated a game.
Michelle Stapleton saw the chance to referee as a way to enjoy her favourite sport – and get paid at the same.
She credits one of her mentors for allowing her to be part of Saskatchewan hockey history.
“One of my mentors, Jason Mercer, it was always one of his huge goals,” Stapleton recalled.
“He was the old referee-in-chief of the junior B league and it’s something that he expressed to me a few years back, that his goal was to get an all-female crew, so I’m just super excited to be a part of it.”
Barry Schrader, who is the Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s (SHA) development of female officials co-ordinator, said the province has women who are well-qualified to officiate men’s games.
“These girls are good,” Schrader said.
“Some of these girls are being asked to do some of the top-level men’s games because they are so good.”
There are currently more than 250 female officials registered in the province.