The following from Peter McArdle, CBHL Commissioner:
The purpose of my e-mail is to make a request that I am sure that SHOA has already identified as paramount for their focus (Upper Body – Head Injuries) . Although I have not seen an increase in concussions or upper body injuries in the refs reports so far this year, many of our clubs are tracking these injuries especially concussions because of the emphasis on “Concussion Baseline Testing”. This testing will give to each club their own baseline of these types of injuries “going forward.” Really there can not be an association of this data compared to previous years since the Concussion Baseline testing was not focused on by many clubs until recently.

Please continue to focus on and discipline this type of senseless player behavior that leads to these injuries. Please tell your SHOA membership that you have the full support of the CBHL Commissioner and CBHL Management team in respect to helping each player know the severity of their actions.

Many Thanks;

Peter McArdle
CBHL - Commissioner

Happy New Year officials! The next General Membership Meeting is slated for the Gardens Ice House in Laurel on Thursday, January 26, starting about 7:30 p.m. See you there.

Thanks to those of you who have completed the screenings. For the few of you who have not, you will be pulled from assignments after 1/1/12. Please go to the southeastrefs.org/screening.html site to check on your status if you are not sure. we have checked the JODP and PVAHA coach sites. If not listed, then you need a screening.

While the season has started well, we need to bring your attention to a few things.

LATE ARRIVALS
We need to be mindful about taking games and planning better on drive times to get there. Expect the worst for traffic--especially going from one rink to another--and not the best conditions; keep WTOP handy for traffic on the 8s and plan alternate routes. We've had a rash of late arrivals and we're ahead of budget on the fines.

SWAPPING GAMES
Game swaps must go through the scheduler. Don't rely on email to give you a scheduler approved answer. Use your phone, particularly for the last minute needs.

SWITCHING GAMES AT RINKS -- Again, scheduler approval must be gained. Also, if you show up for a game and find a hole nearby, your first responsibility is to your assigned game. Make sure that it's filled with someone qualified to do it if you are the best choice to cover the gap in a higher level game. Don't sacrifice your game to fill in another and leave a gap. There will always be exceptions, but make sure the coaches know that you are with them. Again, let your scheduler know that your switching.

Keeping these things in mind will keep our accounting straight and our fines low. I should know as I was docked some this month. My fault and I was accountable.

Cheers,
Bill Hughes

Ladies and Gentlemen,
There has been some confusion regarding the implementation of 17-minute periods for CBHL Midget games. Here is your definitive guidance on the subject, as of this morning:

Midget U16AA and U18AA games are authorized to use 17-minute periods for their games, provided there is 90 minutes of available playing time in the game slot (this excludes the ice cut).
If 90 minutes of playing time does not exist in the game slot, then the teams play 15-minute periods.

It is critically important that all crews are dressed and ready to step on the ice prior to the players taking the ice for warmup. It is also just as important that the officiating crew determines the amount of playing time available for the game, before the game starts. Knowing the available ice-time will obviously guide the officiating crew in determining how long the periods should be, and should resolve most game timing issues before the puck is dropped. Additionally, knowing when the game slot terminates will be your guide to knowing whether it is necessary to shorten the third period of any game.

If you have any questions on this subject, please feel free to contact me,
Many Thanks,
Dave Boyer,
SHOA, VP Operations

A message from Bill Hughes, President of SHOA

Officials,
The pumpkin time is near. If you are a pumpkin on Dec 1, your SHOA access will be suspended…in short, you will be in suspended animation and your games will be redistributed.

Getting to be a pumpkin is simple. Either of the following two points will make you a pumpkin.
1. You did not register, attend seminar, pass your open book and/or closed book test as appropriate, and your crest has NOT BEEN MAILED. If you have a Nov 30, 2011, crest mailing date, we won’t take you down.
2. Not complete a background screening if you are over 18 on January 1, 2009 or later [closer to today, for example). If your screening date is 12/31/2008, you will be a pumpkin on Dec 1.

To check on your screening date, go to southeastrefs.org and click on Background Screening button. In the appropriate box, type in your USA Hockey Officials registration number found on your card [do it on southeastrefs.org, not here!].

If you see any date in 2011, you will be a pumpkin. If so, then follow the instructions in the powerpoint and update your screening on the database. Recent screenings have taken between 45 minutes to 3 weeks to complete. That’s between the computers at counties you may have lived in and the Acxiom system. I will update through the week. DO NOT SEND ME YOUR REPORT, I SEE IT ON ACXIOM.

If you are a registered PVAHA coach, please let me know so I can check the PVAHA database.
If you are screened through USAHOFFDEV, please send me the URL to check that database to update you.

Thanks,
Bill

I want to thank the members for doing their best starting off this new season and thank you to our rink and club partners for helping get it all going once again. We've started the season pretty well this year with few issues raised. As the Thanksgiving and Christmas tournaments add to the level of games, please take a look at your uniforms and skates and clean them up...look your best all the time. Check your signals, review the rules and special tourney rules, and plan for extra time on the roads getting to your rinks. For example, I give myself an extra half hour getting to Rockville or Laurel during this season, for others, others should plan the same for Dale City or Haymarket.

I look forward to seeing you at several tournaments this year.

Cheers,
Bill Hughes

SHOA Members,

We've had a strong start to the season and our first two membership meetings have drawn good attendance!

Your next chance to meet with other members will be our General Membership Meeting slated for the Gardens Ice House in Laurel on Wednesday night, November 16, begining at 7:35 p.m. Many ask why 7:35 p.m. It's because the fitness center has a class that extends right until 7:30, so, we are a little delayed on time. In any event, for those of you who have attended meetings at Laurel you know we get the room turned around quickly.

See you there!

Ladies and Gentlemen,
For those of you who attended the SHOA meeting last night, there was some confusion that I'd to clear up regarding the CBHL Mercy Rule. The rule, as confirmed by the league tonight is as follows:

A.9 - Ten-Goal Rule - At all levels of play, in games between CBHL teams (whether league or exhibition games), a ten-goal mercy rule is in effect. If one team attains a lead of ten goals, at any time during the game, the game terminates, the score and all statistics are final, and under no circumstances shall play be permitted to continue.

To clarify, this rule applies to CBHL League and Non-League games (played between 2 CBHL member clubs). There is one caveat. For Mite and Squirt B games (League & NL), the 10-goal rule does not apply.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a note,
Many Thanks,
Dave Boyer
SHOA, VP Operations

Congratulations to Bill and Pat Hutzler for accomplishing their goal of re-building the Prince William Ice Center after its predecessors' collapse in the heavy snows of February 2010.

Through these trying months, Bill and Pat, and their Operations Director, Margie Jenkins, diligently pursued every angle to get this facility rebuilt and opened as expeditiously as possible.

Today at 2:10, the first game will be played with SHOA supporting as it has from the first day of the original rink. This will be a pretty emotional day for not only the Hutzler's, and theirf and the hundreds of hockey, figure, and speed skaters that will skate on the two rinks over the next decades.

Even if you are only passing through the area, stop in and see this marvelous new addition to our skating landscape in the SHOA coverage area.

The next SHOA General Membership meeting will be held at the Laurel Ice Gardens on September 22, 2011, with the opening faceoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Attendance is key with the discussion and voting on several constitutional questions raised last spring.

A special congratulations to Claiborn Carr and Tom Hendrix, as well as their staff, on the 22nd anniversary of the opening of The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Maryland.

The Gardens represents in many ways, the center of the SHOA coverage map, but also our largest adult hockey client.

The Gardens has hosted several national championship and other national-level tournaments.

It has and will remain an important stakeholder in shaping the sport of ice hockey, as well as other skating and curling events, in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

When you are there next, please pass your congratulations to the staff, Tom, and Clai for a job well-done for their efforts.

If you are an adult, then you need to complete a background screening and be cleared through
SE District to skate SHOA games.

Anyone who has not completed one since April 30, 2009 is now required to submit one.

Go to southeastrefs.org and follow the instructions to apply and pay for a screening. Until that is completed, you won't skate.

If you are from out of state, please have your screening official [not you] send to screening@southeastrefs.org the following information:

1. Your name

2. Your DOB

3: Date of Screening

4. Clear/Not Clear

5. Screening Official Name

6. Position

Once SE District processes the screen, you will then be added to our rolls.

September brings with it the start of the new rules from the updated rule book. While many have not gone to a seminar as yet to learn these new rules, everyone needs to be mindful about the many important changes. Consider the checking issue and the progressive body contact. This will involve study. Take the time to do that please. See the updates in the Links tab.

Also, take a look at your gear. It's a good time ot put on clean white laces and a new strip of tape on your whistles. Look at your pants and helmet and be honest, is it time to order a new one?

The September meeting is coming. Several Constitutional issues are being raised. Please plan on joining us at The Gardens at 7:30pm Sept 22. I have asked Mr. Peter McArdle, CBHL commissioner, to speak to us on the changes in the CBHL and his expectations for officials in the CBHL games.