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For Matt Schoenroth, it was as much a prime officiating assignment as it was a family reunion.
Selected by Hockey Alberta as one of the referees for the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup Oct. 27-30 in Moose Jaw, Sask., the four-day event also served as a homecoming for the 20-year-old official.
“I was extremely happy, because I’m originally from Moose Jaw,” said Schoenroth. “So I had some family and friends that came out and watched me. I hadn’t seen them in a couple of years; it was awesome.”
The seeds for the prestigious assignment and the homecoming that followed were planted when Schoenroth was selected as one of six Alberta officials for regional, national and international assignments during the 2011-12 season.
The U16 Challenge Cup is hosted by the Western Hockey League along with WHL director of officiating Kevin Muench, said Schoenroth, a linesman in the WHL.
“They have a say on who officiates. They worked with Hockey Alberta. Hockey Alberta submits a few names and then Kevin talks to Hockey Alberta about who they would like to see. I received and email asking if I was willing to go and of course I said yes.”
Prior to officiating a game between the Lethbridge midget AA team and the Calgary NWCAA Bruins Nov. 11 at Henderson Arena, Schoenroth reflected on the experience of calling the shots at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.
Clearly, this wasn’t some recreational beer league assignment.
“The main thing I took away was the difference in level of hockey,” said Schoenroth. “Now, every call you make has such a great impact.”
Which makes game management paramount, said Schoenroth.
“You can’t over-react. Basically what happens is the speed of the hockey game increased and so does your reaction time and your decisions. Every decision you make is magnified as opposed to if you were just officiating a recreational hockey game where you can make a couple of mistakes and go under the radar. But if you make one or two mistakes in hockey of that calibre, it just magnifies itself.”
Honing his officiating craft in his hometown in front of his family, Schoenroth’s relatives also noted his refereeing growth.
“They could see me develop,” he said. “I had come as long way since I left Saskatchewan as an official. It was really nice. A lot of them were saying I didn’t even look like the same person because I had matured so much and my officiating career had developed so much.”
Schoenroth first donned the whistle and striped jersey eight years ago at the age of 12.
“My grandpa got me into it,” he said. “He told me about this clinic that was going on in Moose Jaw. He thought it was a good way for me to make a few extra dollars.”
Still, getting used to calling the games took a few years.
“I had no confidence out there,” said Schoenroth. “I was just scared to go on the ice and get yelled at. I was just a young kid.”
But one day while refereeing a peewee recreational game, that timid attitude took a permanent seat in the penalty box and Schoenroth never looked back.
“For some reason my confidence came out of nowhere,” he said. “I was confident in my calls, I was starting to talk to the players more. It just grew. It was unbelievable. By the next week I was loving it and it was all I wanted to do. I wouldn’t say it’s a thankless job, but you mature more and you learn more the more you do and the better you get at it. People are pretty thankful for it, actually.”
Establishing that rapport with the players and coaches alike helped in his development, said Schoenroth
“If you know a coach’s name you can talk to them by name instead of saying ‘Hey coach.’ It’s ‘Hey Dave’ or ‘Hey Bret’. They think ‘This guy is taking the opportunity to learn more about me. He wants to work with me.’”
With his refereeing experience at the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup under his belt, Schoenroth now looks to take that title to the WHL.
“My overall goal is to become a referee in that league. I’ve always strived towards that,” he said. “But at the same time I’ve always kept my career in perspective. I’ve always realized that for now it’s a hobby, it’s not a full-time job. Very few people are lucky enough to get to do it as a full-time job in the NHL. At the same I don’t limit myself, I keep myself open to every opportunity I get. I make the most of it and continue to work hard.”
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