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No different in boys. Too many douche bag entitled parents / coaches who have a difference of opinion of a call and follow the ref to their car. Before you *****...step up and ref. But you wont, like many others, but you sit back and *****. And now there is a ref shortage...so step up or deal with it...but *****ing on the dboard isn't the solution

I’ll share some advice an old coach gave me when I chirped him. You’re a parent. You pay, drive and watch.

Lack of refs is the reply but USA Hockey says they have more refs now than ever before. How is this possible? Observations: All games on weekends now. Unless you are in bed with the assignor (or family), they won't assign you any good games so refs say screw it and don't go. Refs all get 1099s so now it is not appealing as a part time job. Oh and the parents, coaches and players are crazy.

Number of ref's is a moving target & difficult to really judge until a season or two after.

For example, many kids go through level 1 certification and either never work a game because they don't understand how to work with assignors or work a couple of weekends and quit. Even though they aren't active, they are shown as active officials for the 22/23 season. In a new twist, MA Hockey greatly extended the time they gave existing officials to recertify, so even if an official has quit, they are being carried as an active official still for this season.

What should be the focus isn't the number of officials but how many of the new officials are progressing to Level III and beyond in their development. Over the last five years too many of experienced officials have left and the "new blood" coming in doesn't seem to be sticking with it in the same percentages as the years before. This is why you have a 15 or 16 year old kids working games with his peers or even older age groups because that's what is available.

To the OP it is not a girls league problem, it's across the board but it's not JUST a numbers issue, or PITA parents & coaches. Honestly, MA Hockey needs to do much, much more in the way of onboarding and mentoring officials, working through issues with assignors, etc. The system can't keep losing experienced ref's each year but having 90% of the new blood quit before year three, it just doesn't work.

If your org constantly has problems getting two officials on games, I'll bet one or more of the following is happening:
*they aren't paying equal to other organizations
*they pay their bills late
*the assignor is difficult to work with

Listen up crazy hockey parents real hockey ref here…

First the number of games every weekend is off the chart. If it isn’t some “showcase” or “invitational” there is useless or unnecessary hockey like middle school. The simple answer to a ref shortage is the following.

1. We all cherry pick games for a variety of reasons the most important is personal convenience. I pick games close to home that fit my personal schedule and are the most fun to work.

2. Programs that don’t pay get last priority. I have games I worked in November that have been paid. I turned down games last weekend at this organization that were eventually cancelled for no refs bc we all have a line we draw with payment expectations.

3. Programs that pay better get my attention first.

4. I see games that have Dbag coaches or parents and I avoid them all day. We all talk and share stories of pain in the ass teams, parents or parents.

The reality is if programs don’t pay on time and parents yell all the time eventually refs know not to pick the games. I was in a ref room the the other day with my partner and we were both finished. The assignor called my partner and asked of he would stay bc there was no one for the next two games. He said “you haven’t paid me for _____ games in 2-months so not a chance”. We both left and if the game was played it was officiated by coaches.

Wait…we have a shortage of officials who are verbally abused and then don’t get paid on the same schedule as any other full or part time job. Is it any secret why there are not enough refs?