As the hockey season is winding down and summer is rapidly approaching, IHOA has been hard at work getting ready to start the 2022-23 season strong with our seminars beginning in Mid-July.  As we look back at this year, we are extremely proud of our entire membership for their dedication and resilience in working through this pandemic as everyone adjusts to the new normal.  For 2022-23, IHOA has 32 seminars confirmed with the intention of adding more.

USA hockey registration has opened as of June 1^st.

 IHOA plans on opening our registration on July 1^st at 8 am. 

In accordance with USA Hockey’s guidelines for this upcoming season, IHOA’s seminars will be structured as the follows:

Level 1’s

• Hybrid model consisting of (1) night of virtual classroom through Zoom (4 Hours)
• (1) In-person session including on-ice instruction & in-person classrooms (4 Hours)

Level 2’s

• Hybrid model consisting of (1) night of virtual classroom through Zoom (4 hours)
• (1) In-person on-ice session partnered with a brief classroom meeting immediately after or prior to the ice portion (2 Hours)

Level 3’s

• (1) Virtual classroom session through Zoom (4 Hours)

Level 4’s

• (1) Virtual classroom session through Zoom (4 Hours)

 

USA hockey registration has opened as of June 1^st.

IHOA plans on opening our registration on July 1^st at 8am.

Confirmed Seminars to date:

Level 1’s

These will be hosted on-site at the rinks listed below, all with an accompanying virtual session that will take place on the Thursday prior to the below date.  All candidates must attend BOTH sessions to receive credit, and the sessions must occur in conjunction with the assigned virtual/in-person session.  There will be no mixing & matching, if you sign up for an in-person session on the weekend, you must be available the Thursday that immediately precedes it.

• • • August 7^th, 2022 – Fifth Third Ice Arena – Chicago
    • August 13^th, 2022 – Rolling Meadows Community Center – Rolling Meadows
    • August 14^th, 2022 – Fox Valley Ice Arena – Geneva
    • August 14^th, 2022 – Mount Prospect Ice Arena – Mount Prospect
    • August 20^th, 2022 – Rocket Ice Arena – Bollingbrook
    • August 21^st, 2022 – Darien Sportsplex – Darien
    • August 28^th, 2022 – Robert Crown Community Center – Evanston
    • September 11^th, 2022 – Arctic Ice Arena – Orland Park
    • September 17^th, 2022 – Glacier Ice Arena – Vernon Hills
    • September 24^th, 2022 – Triphahn Ice Arena – Hoffman Estates

Level 2’s

These will be hosted on-site at the rinks listed below, all with an accompanying virtual session that will take place on the Thursday prior to the below date.  All candidates must attend BOTH sessions to receive credit, and the sessions must occur in conjunction with the assigned virtual/in-person session.  There will be no mixing & matching, if you sign up for an in-person session on the weekend, you must be available the Thursday that immediately precedes it.

• • • August 7^th, 2022 – Fifth Third Ice Arena – Chicago
    • August 14^th, 2022 – Fox Valley Ice Arena – Geneva
    • August 20^th, 2022 – Rocket Ice Arena – Bollingbrook
    • August 21^st, 2022 – Darien Sportsplex – Darien
    • September 17^th, 2022 – Glacier Ice Arena – Vernon Hills
    • September 24^th, 2022 – Triphahn Ice Arena – Hoffman Estates

Level 3’s

These will be full virtual sessions hosted on the dates listed below:

• • • July 13^th, 2022
    • July 27^th, 2022
    • August 10^th, 2022
    • August 24^th, 2022
    • September 7^th, 2022
    • September 21^st, 2022
    • October 5^th, 2022
    • October 19^th, 2022

Level 4’s

These will be full virtual sessions hosted on the dates listed below:

• • • July 13^th, 2022
    • July 27^th, 2022
    • August 10^th, 2022
    • August 24^th, 2022
    • September 7^th, 2022
    • September 21^st, 2022
    • October 5^th, 2022
    • October 19^th, 2022

 

We sincerely hope you can join us for our seminars, and we promise that you will not be disappointed with the perspective & knowledge you gain from looking from “our” point of view.  Hockey is, and always will be, the greatest game on earth.  Join us and help us continue to grow our great sport right here in Illinois.

Any questions on registration or certification for the upcoming season can be directed to Registrar@ihoa.com

 

We hope to see you all later this summer,

Anthony Fiorito

IHOA Registrar

 

Hello Fellow IHOA officials,

Let me introduce myself, I’m Brad Baumruck the newly appointed Referee in Chief of Illinois by the IHOA board.  While I’ve been an official for 24 seasons- an IHOA board member, a Seminar Committee member, and the Development Program Coordinator- none of these accolades mean anything to what our officiating community did in this past season.  The dedicated men and women of Illinois filled games all season when it seemed impossible; my hat’s off to you all!  The players appreciate it, even if our engagements with the select few made our lives awful.

I would like to point out that our past RIC, Eric Cowsill, was a unique individual who carried our association through one of the most difficult times we have ever faced.  Under his leadership, and in conjunction with Steven Rickard, we were able to still stay together and train.  As most of you may know, Eric was in attendance for almost every seminar for the past 2 years; his commitment was a major part of our success in securing our community to keep operating.  Unfortunately, he has stepped away this season, he will be missed.  We should all wish him well in his new endeavors.

Moving forward the IHOA board of directors happened Monday, May 9^th.   Every election there are 5 board spots open.  Dave Zednik, Sam Celbuski, and Eric Cowsill choose not to re-run.  This season those 3 spots were filled with new members Scott Gaffney, Dan Zaloudek, and Todd Permut.  Anthony Fiorito and John Dunne remain in their past positions on the board.  Thank you to all the past board members, current board members, and new board members.

The election results were in no particular order:

• John Dunne
• Anthony Fiorito
• Scott Gaffney
• Todd Permut
• Dan Zaloudek

Jeff Pachocca was not elected to this term but his dedication and enthusiasm to dedicate his time is appreciated.

The Executive Board of directors is as follows:

• Brad Baumruck- Referee in Chief
• Steven Rickard- IHOA President
• Carl Sassolino- IHOA Vice president
• Geoff Schlender- Treasurer
• Erika Greenen- Secretary

The committee chairs are as follows:

• Joe Guzzardi- Rules and Ethics
• Brain Fisher- Seminars
• Anthony Fiorito- Registrar
• Brett Straley- Performance, Education, & Development (PED)

 

IHOA awarded 4 scholarships this year as well, the scholarships are awarded on officiating status, student status, and recommendations.  Congratulations to the following:

• Marissa Lyons
• Luke Ballentyne
• Alexander Eilert
• Matthew Ligeski

We all hope they do well in their goals of knowledge in the future in officiating and in their academic growth.

 

IHOA also awarded a presidential award for an official going above and beyond the duties of officiating.  We had an official during a game give CPR to a fan incapacitated and still complete his assignments.  Steven Rickard has graciously awarded the first presidential award to Mr. Todd Permut.

The new season is coming, get rested up, enjoy your families.  USAH registration opens June 1.  IHOA plans on being open by July 1 and seminars will start in August.  Please watch IHOA.COM for updates.

 

The entire board thanks you all for what you do, and we hope your summer is relaxing. We all look forward to seeing you around the rinks soon. If anyone has questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at ADP@IHOA.COM

 

All the best to you and your families,

 

Brad Baumruck- Referee in Chief

 Steven Rickard-  IHOA President

IHOA Officials-

Please remember how we officials are to handle situations that violate 601, especially (e3).

 

If the slurs/offensive language was not heard by the official(s):

1. Talk to both coaching staff/benches and

2. Send in an incident report.

Please remember:

If you have any questions, comments,

complaints, or concerns

Reach out to the IHOA Board first,

not the Central District Referee-in-Chief.

 

You can find their contact info at: BOARD of DIRECTORS

*OR*

Use CONTACT US and choose the appropriate form: CONTACT US

IHOA Members,

Click on the picture or the link below to access (download) the PowerPoint [PPT] presentation on game reporting.

USAH Online Game Report Example_2021 presentation

 

Today, September 1, 2021,

USAH’s new rules are in effect.

**2021-22 Registration**

USA Hockey has various requirements for each certification level. Please visit www.usahockey.com for information.

To be completely registered, you must meet both IHOA and USA Hockey requirements.

**UPDATED 7/5/21: Minimum age for IHOA membership: 12 years old as of December 31 of the current year. **

and MUST WORK FIRST GAME WITH A MENTOR. INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THEIR SEMINAR.

 

FIRST: Register with USA Hockey on-line

*You must first be registered with USA Hockey as an official before you may register with IHOA.*

SECOND: Register on-line for an IHOA SEMINAR

***Registration will open Wednesday, July 7, 2021 @ 8:00 AM***

 

YOU MUST HAVE A VISOR FOR THE ON-ICE PORTION OF YOUR SEMINAR. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!

**PLEASE NOTE THE START AND END TIMES FOR YOUR SEMINAR.**

Space at all Seminars is LIMITED! Admittance at all Seminars will require pre-registration and pre-payment.

ALL Level 1 officials under the age of 18 by July 1 of the current year will be required to have a parent or guardian attend a short session at the beginning of the seminar. This meeting will outline how to become an official, how to get games, what to do if you have a problem with fans, and the responsibilities of the on-ice official.

FIRST: Register with USA Hockey on-line

*You must first be registered with USA Hockey as an official before you may register with IHOA.*

SECOND: Register on-line for an IHOA SEMINAR

***Registration will open Wednesday, July 7, 2021 @ 8:00 AM***

 

If you have any other questions about seminars, that are not found on the FAQs page, or the registration process (name changes, registration account mistake, etc…) please contact the IHOA Registrar for the State of Illinois registrar@ihoa.com

AHAI | IHOA

Advanced Development Program

The AHAI | IHOA Advanced Development Program plans on restarting in the near future via virtual Zoom meetings. The dates for the program are still being determined; however, anyone interested in the Advanced Development Program should contact Brad Baumruck at adp@ihoa.com.

Effective immediately, there shall be no peg use to anchor nets during games involving teams aged 10U and younger.

This rule is effective immediately and will carry through all games, including Illinois state playoffs.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Dear USA Hockey official,

You recently received a summary of several significant changes to the USA Hockey SafeSport Program. This note includes additional specific information pertinent to officials, including related to SafeSport Training requirements, mandatory reporting, and the Minor Athlete Abuse Protection Policies. Thank you for your dedication to USA Hockey programs and efforts to keep our participants safe and our programs free from misconduct or abuse.

SafeSport Training

All officials who are or will be seventeen (17) years old or older as of December 31 of that registration season must complete the SafeSport Training program as a condition of completing their certification requirements every season.

Beginning this season, the training must now be completed every year prior to participation each season (however, anyone who completed training in the most recent season (2018-19) will retain valid training status for 2019-20, and will complete training annually beginning in 2020-21). The training is provided by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and each official must first complete the “Core Center for SafeSport Training,” which is completed online and takes approximately 90 – 120 minutes to complete. In subsequent seasons, officials will need to complete the Center for SafeSport’s “Refresher Course,” which is also online and takes 30 minutes or less to complete. There is no cost to complete either training course.

If you (or your son or daughter) are under 18 at the time of training, USA Hockey is required to obtain parental consent for the official to complete training. If you registered on or after May 28, 2019, then the consent was incorporated into your registration; if you registered prior to May 28, USA Hockey will be contacting you soon to obtain the consent of the parents for a minor age official to complete the SafeSport Training.

Mandatory Reporting

If you are an adult-aged official, then according to federal law you are considered a mandatory reporter of child abuse, including sexual abuse. In the event of any actual or suspected sexual misconduct or child abuse, you must report such information to the U.S. Center for SafeSport and, when appropriate, to applicable law enforcement.

Minor Athlete Abuse Protection Policies

The Minor Athlete Abuse Protection Policies (“MAAPP Policies”) were mandated by federal law to be put into effect by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and are included in the USA Hockey SafeSport Program Handbook with specific information for hockey programs. The MAAPP Policies are prevention policies to prohibit and/or avoid situations where risks of misconduct can occur, including:

• One-on-One Interactions. This policy prohibits one-on-one interactions between adult members of USA Hockey or those authorized by a USA Hockey program to have regular contact with or authority over minors, unless they occur at an observable and interruptible distance by another adult. There are exceptions for emergency circumstances. The policy specifically addresses situations where these types of interactions might occur, including in meetings with a player, in individual training sessions and in settings outside the hockey program.

• Locker Rooms. USA Hockey’s existing Locker Room Policy was updated, and includes specific locker room provisions for officials to address situations when officials of different genders share a locker room and to avoid situations where an adult official and a minor are alone in a locker room. Please review the new locker room policies in the USA Hockey SafeSport Program Handbook.

• Travel. Travel is a high risk time for misconduct to occur, including when officials travel together. USA Hockey’s travel policy has been updated for both “local travel” (transportation and travel to and from local games and events) and “organization/team travel” (travel away from the home area and may include overnight stays in a hotel for games or tournaments). Except in the case of emergency, an adult official may not ride in a vehicle alone, travel alone with or share a hotel or sleeping arrangement with an unrelated minor participant.

• Athletic Training Modalities. Although officials generally do not receive treatment at the rink, from trainers or medical personnel, this policy ensures that any type of athletic training, including massages, rubdowns, taping, etc., occurs in an open and interruptible location.

• Social Media and Electronic Communications. This policy has been updated. All electronic communication from an adult official, supervisor, assignor or other person of authority to a minor-aged participant must be professional in nature. Absent emergency circumstances, if an adult official, supervisor, assignor or other person of authority needs to communicate directly with a minor-aged participant via electronic communications (including social media), the minor’s parent must be copied.

A revised copy of the USA Hockey SafeSport Program Handbook can be found at the USA Hockey website at www.usahockey.com/safesportprogram. Please refer to the SafeSport Handbook for details of these and other policies affecting USA Hockey programs. You can also reach out to your Affiliate SafeSport Coordinator or to USA Hockey if you have questions or need assistance.

Thank you again for all of your efforts in support of the safety of participants in USA Hockey programs.