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Scott Gaffney grew up playing youth hockey in New England, learning to skate almost as soon as he could walk. After graduating from Sacred Heart University in 2015, he missed the game so much that he began officiating youth hockey in Connecticut in early 2016. By his third season, Scott had progressed to officiating junior and college hockey.
Currently, Scott serves as the Vice President of IHOA. He has previously served on the Rules and Ethics Committee and now contributes as the chairperson of the Communication Committee. In addition to supervising local games, he assists in conducting IHOA seminars. Scott is also the supervisor of officials for the USPHL Midwest Division and the ACHA Chicago Showcase, where he focuses on developing officials and helping them advance to minor professional and NCAA hockey.
Matt McManus grew up playing youth hockey in southwest Chicago and later continued his hockey journey at Brother Rice High School. He first became a USA Hockey certified official during the 2001-02 season but didn’t immediately pursue officiating due to his playing career.
In the 2021-22 season, inspired by The Rink Shrinks podcast featuring Gene and Geno Binda discussing the officiating shortage, Matt and his cousin, Steven Gapski, decided to enroll in a Level 1 seminar to officiate men’s league games for extra income.
Eric Netzel was born in Buffalo, NY, and grew up in a small town about 40 minutes southwest of Hershey, PA. He began playing pickup hockey as a child, and in 2010, at the age of 28, decided to become a USA Hockey-certified official as a way to earn extra income following the 2008 recession.
Eric quickly became a dedicated student of the game, learning from many experienced officials in the Atlantic District. His officiating career progressed rapidly, leading him to officiate the high school All-Star game and high school playoffs in 2015. In 2016, he relocated to the Midwest for work, where his officiating career began to flourish. He was selected to work the U18 Tier II National Championships in 2021 and refereed the Illinois Girls High School State Championship game in 2023. Eric joined the NCHA (NCAA Division III) as a linesman during the 2022/23 season and began officiating as a linesman for the minor-pro Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) in the 2023/24 season.
