Fellow Officials,

 

I hope your last days of summer are going well and you are ready to start the 2021-2022 youth hockey season.   Here are some pieces of information that will be important for anyone who will be officiating this season.  

 

IHONC Monthly Meetings 

 

Our first membership meeting will occur on the zoom platform in September.   More details to follow.  

 

 

New Rules

 

Effective for all games on or after September 1, 2021 the New USA Hockey rule book and all its applications must be used in all games.  No exceptions.   Be sure to familiarize yourself with all the changes as some are significant.  These changes will be gone over thoroughly at each USA Hockey seminar as well as at our first membership meeting in September.  However, if you are going to work games you are responsible for proper rule knowledge and application.  I have uploaded in the Forms section of our web site a presentation Kevin Redding is using with organizations that covers the rule changes for this season.

 

Seminars

 

Seminars have been uploaded to the USA Hockey page.  Do not worry there are more seminars to come.  There was an issue at the last minute with venues that had been secured to host seminars.  Those venues determined no outside groups would be able to utilize their facilities.  Other facilities are being secured that will host the USA Hockey seminars.  Stay tuned for a blast communication from Kevin Redding in the near future.

 

USAH/CHC Covid-19 Guidelines

 

The USAH/CHC Covid-19 Guidelines are uploaded in the Forms section of our web site.  Masks are required by all players, coaches, officials, off ice officials, and spectators for all USA Hockey sanctioned contests that are played in the state of Connecticut.  All rinks in the state of Connecticut are on board with this policy regardless of mandates or lack thereof in different cities and towns across the state.  Every game you accept from Steve Levins in the Arbiter is a USA Hockey sanctioned event.  Teams from out of state are also subject to the same mask mandates regardless of the rules they may play under in their home states.    As far as officiating is concerned, we are treating the mask as a piece of required equipment and penalizing infractions as necessary.  This is the same policy as last season.  Good news is the CCM Game On Masks that were not allowed last season have now been approved for use by all players and officials.  Officials may use their standard whistles as long as they can blow the whistle while wearing their mask.  Officials are not permitted to lower their mask to blow the whistle.   The use of Electronic whistles is also permissible while officiating USA Hockey games.    

 

Contact Tracing and Quarantining

 

Last season we alerted all officials if they were potentially exposed to a participant that had reported testing positive for Covid-19.  We will continue to do the same thing this season.  The CHC Guidelines attached define what a close contact is, define quarantine periods for those deemed to have been exposed, and define actions steps to be taken by those individuals who are fully vaccinated versus not vaccinated.  If you are deemed to be a close contact here is what to expect:

 

1.  A phone call from the IHONC President telling you that you were a part of a contest where an individual has reported testing positive for Covid-19.  You will be provided with the date and time of the game and your quarantine period will be determined based on those factors.  We can not disclose to you the person or persons who are reporting that they have tested positive.

 

2.  Each phone call is followed up with an email from the IHONC President as well as from Steve Levins.  Even though we always make every effort to communicate the information over the phone, an email is also sent so we have everything in writing.

 

3.  When you are eligible to work games because either your quarantine guidelines have been met or you are reporting that you are fully vaccinated and are not subject to quarantine we will need to have that in writing.  An email to the IHONC President and Steve Levins stating you are fully vaccinated, or you have tested negative on the required date, or you have completed your quarantine period and are symptom free, etc.  Once that email is received the official will be activated in the Arbiter as ready to be assigned.   

 

Things are sure to change this season as far as mandates and protocols are concerned.  We will keep the membership informed of any changes as soon as they are brought to our attention.  If you have any questions of concerns please don't hesitate to reach out for clarification.  

 

Good luck this season.  Work hard and stay safe.

 

 

 

Peter Egan

IHONC President