RICHMOND, Va. – In keeping with the SPHL’s desire to develop officials as well as players, Commissioner Jim Combs announced in early October that the league would utilize four-person officiating crews in a limited number of games this season to give both groups experience with the “two-ref, two-linesman” system used in all NHL and some AHL games. Each team would host at least two and participate in at least four during the course of the season, with Richmond the most active in the program, hosting four and participating in six. “Players in this league are looking to make it to the next level, and the same goes for officials,” NHL officials’ supervisor Charlie Banfield said while attending the Nov. 19 game at the Richmond Coliseum. Banfield sat with Scott Brand, SPHL Director of Officials and Director of USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program (ODP), which supplies on-ice officials to the SPHL. They watched the two-ref system at work as Dan Dreger and John-Michael McNulty called the Renegades 5-4 victory over the Twin City Cyclones. Each team was tagged for ten minors, 65% of them obstruction calls (hooking, holding, tripping and interference.) No majors occurred and the game flowed well, ending in two hours, 20 minutes. “I’m a firm believer in the four-man system, but consistency is the key,” Banfield said. “The two referees have to be in the same mindset. You have to have good chemistry between them.” That point cannot be overstated. Brand’s referee pairings, which typically have a good balance of youth and experience, have shown that so far. He seems to have a knack for identifying and developing those with potential for officiating in the higher leagues. “We’re trying to take the best guys we can find, put them in this situation and move them up, because eventually we’d like to get as many as we can in the National Hockey League,” he said. Banfield’s son David, a protégé of Brand and a product of the ODP, recently called his first game in the NHL, and gave Brand much of the credit for his opportunity. Brand returned to Richmond on Dec. 10 to observe another of those candidates referee his first pro game. 23-year-old Curtis Marouelli and CHL/AHL veteran Ian Croft combined to call Fayetteville’s 5-2 victory over the Renegades. The game featured only 12 minors, no majors and took just two hours, 12 minutes to complete. “The four-man system is a little more methodical, a lot less run and gun,” Marouelli said. “If you’re not in such a rush to get up the ice and anticipate the play, you can just focus on everything that’s in front of you.” Being in position to make the calls that need to be called is a good tool to facilitate USA Hockey’s emphasis on reducing obstruction penalties without prolonging the game unnecessarily. A sampling of statistics comparing Richmond’s three “two-ref” games to their 24 other contests supports that: percentage of obstruction calls per game went up about 21%, while the overall total of PIM’s dropped. The average game length also dropped, going from 2:29 down to 2:21. Despite the limited scope of these stats, a few points seem obvious. In theory, two refs can each cover half a rink twice as well, or better, than one ref can cover a whole one. There’s less distance to skate for an in-position view and there are two pairs of eyes observing from opposite vantage points. And players, like most people, tend to behave better when being watched – which in the long run will lead to less mucking behind the play, less retaliation, and in turn fewer spontaneous fights. Less time spent by the refs on guys cheap-shotting each other will mean more time for them to monitor and maintain the flow of the play. After all, that’s the look USAH was going for when they instituted the Standard of Play doctrine in 2006. “With four guys watching you’re going to see more obstruction calls,” Brand said. “That’s what, in theory, the teams say they want – until it goes against them.” Eager to get feedback, be it good or bad, the SPHL set up a computerized system for coaches to register their compliments or complaints following games. Most of the feedback has been constructive and supportive of the program. “The teams can go online and rate the officials – there are about six questions on there that we use to identify trends,” Brand said. “Some coaches are very good – they wait until Monday to fill them out, after they’ve had a chance to calm down and watch the video, and some will fill it out right after the game while they’re still wound up.” The Board of Governors will consider the input from coaches, players and ODP officials alike to determine the potential use of four-official crews for subsequent seasons. Cost, a key factor in the SPHL, will weigh in the decision. Somebody has to foot the tab for the extra official, and under the current program, the refs take a cut in pay to do the four-man games. “They don’t complain too much because they want that experience,” Brand said. Halfway home, the experiment seems to be working well on the ice. Assuming it continues to, the SPHL, as the leader in single-A hockey, should move forward to adopt this system. Hopefully others will follow. “We’re not perfect, believe me, and the game’s not perfect,” Banfield said. “We’re just trying to make it a little better than it is.” Contact the author at tom.brandt@prohockeynews.com
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