Ask the Officials

Believe it or not but Des Moines has a top notch officiating crew with some great experience. Our crew includes experience from some high level hockey including the USHL, PIHA (Professional Inline Hockey Association), NARCH, TORHS, StateWars, and other Professional Level inline hockey leagues. Leagues across the nation continue to use our local officials which are dedicated to the sport and exhibit professionalism even during the toughest situations.

We've asked our officials to clear up some common rules people may not understand

1) Goals, the puck must 100% pass the back of the goal post/line to be considered a goal. If it only crosses 90%, then it is still no goal. Also, unlike basketball where the ball can go in after the buzzer as long as it is in the air, in hockey the puck is considered "dead" and play ends once the buzzer sounds.

2) As officials we try our hardest to not be part of the game. This not only includes staying out of the way of the puck but we don't want to call a bunch of penalties which will advantage one team or the other. We use the following criteria to help determine what to call:

A) Does it create or take away a scoring opportunity

B) Does it have potential to cause serious injury

3) We are all human and will not always agree or see the things the same. That does not mean that we can not respect each other and be tolerant. Please use good sportsmanship and we look forward to seeing you all on the rink.

We asked RIC (Referee in Chief) Blaine Barker why he started officiating, his response:

"I got into reffing because I was frustrated with the refs in my games. One day I thought, I could do better than these clowns. So I got certified and have never looked back." No matter what sport it is, if you are frustrated with your officiating crew, be part of the solution by getting certified today.