First female-only reffing crew a skate in the right direction
Weyburn’s Alex Clarke became a referee a few years ago to fill the void hockey left behind after she quit playing. Little did the 24-year-old know she’d be making history as a member of the first female-only officiating crew to work a Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) game.
In September, when the Drake native was first approached to officiate, she knew she had to be a part of it. Being the goal of the late Jason Mercer, a former PJHL referee-in-chief and leader in Saskatchewan’s referee division, Clarke felt it was special.
“Just to be one of the officials on the ice to honour (Mercer) and to do this in his honour — it’s very humbling,” she said.
According to Barry Schrader, the Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s development of female officials coordinator, Sunday’s game between the Saskatoon Quakers and Regina Silver Foxes is symbolic.