When Nick Tochelli took over as the referee-in-chief for the West Section in August, his to-do list included bringing back a number of programs that were lost during the Covid pandemic. One of those was resurrecting the on-ice component of the new officials training, which included a power skating course. 

Coming on the heels of a successful try officiating clinic held in conjunction with the recreational skills session, Tochelli and other local officials worked with former Div. I player and Level 5 coach Linda Groff to hold a power skating clinic at the Tim Horton’s Ice Plex on the Monroe Community College campus on Nov. 9. The result was an opportunity for 25 officials to work on their skating skills in advance of the new season. 

From the organizers’ perspective, it was time well spent as new officials take their first strides in what will hopefully be a long and fruitful career. 

“This was one of the things we’ve been talking about and finally we just pulled the trigger on this,” Tochelli said. “To me, this is huge.” 

While most of the officials demonstrated adequate skating skills, having a refresher course on things like edge work is essential when it comes to being in the proper position to make the right call during a game. 

“You’ve got to be able to move and get out of the way. You also have to keep up with the play and be able to stop on a dime and turn around and go back the other direction,” Tochelli said. 

Word of the free clinic was announced on the section’s referee assigning software and was open to all new officials. As interest grew, Groff wanted to keep the class limited to the first 25 officials to ensure that everyone received the attention they needed to work on their skills. 

“The power skating clinic not only sharpened their skills but also built their confidence and agility, making them more effective in their roles,” Groff said. 

Even after an hour and half on the ice, Tochelli was pleased with the progress that some of the officials made with their skating. 

“We had some people that struggled with their skating but I noticed a huge difference in a few of them throughout the course of the time they were on the ice,” he said. “I think it was worth the investment we put out to have her come in and do it.”