Category News

The LAHOA Executive Board and the Board of Directors would like to announce that registration is OPEN for the 2020-21 season!

Registration Process:

• Current Officials – Your membership will expire November 30, 2021.
• To register with LAHOA, all members, new and returning, need to complete the registration form on which you will select your seminar to attend and accept the LAHOA Code of Conduct.
• Next, you will be directed to pay your LAHOA dues ($40).
• If you paid your dues for the 2020-21 season, you do not need to pay your dues for the 2021-22 season.
• Lastly, you will be directed to register with USA Hockey.

In addition, here are a few helpful hints as you complete the USA Hockey registration process:

• Apply for any level you are eligible for and look for the e-mail confirmation after completing the online application.
• Follow the instructions regarding the open book exam, online modules, SafeSport training & background screening.

Thank you again, for your continued support of LAHOA and we are looking forward to a FULL season of hockey ahead!

LAHOA Registration | USA Hockey Registration | Confirm your 2021-22 Registration | Check your USA Hockey Registration Status

LAHOA would like to congratulate James Parker on his retirement from professional hockey. James, a former LAHOA board member and president, worked his final professional game Friday, May 7th in Irvine. 14 months after it has actually been scheduled. James was originally set to retire at the end of the last season but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed his game. James skating a game between the San Diego Gulls and the Ontario Reign. Basically the Kings vs the Ducks. The game featured a few fights but no fans. Well, almost no fans. James’ wife and kids were made special exemptions and were allowed to attend the game. Skating along side James was fellow LAHOA official, Michael McBain.

James’ career started right here in Southern California when he was 16. He attended California Referee School where camp director Michel Voyer took notice. When he was 18, he picked up a job as a linesman in a inline hockey league called, Roller Hockey International (RHI). The Anaheim Bullfrogs and the LA Blades played in this league with home games at the Honda Center, formerly the Arrowhead Pond, and the Forum, formerly the Great Western Forum. Michel, who had helped James get a spot in the RHI then called Derek Martin who was with the International Hockey League (IHL) which was the main feeder in to the NHL at the time. At the age of 19, James worked as a linesman in the the IHL. A few years later, James found himself moving over to be a referee. He began refereeing games in the IHL and the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) now the ECHL. The Long Beach Ice Dogs played in that league. James’ path to success continued when Bryan Lewis, with the NHL came calling. The NHL had a program called the Officials Trainee Program. They would send James all over the country and even Canada to work games in various leagues such as the QMJHL, OHL and the WHL to name a few.

I’ve told this to countless people but only 80 something people in the world are able to be NHL officials. Different factors can come into play as to why an official makes the NHL or not. James, while pursuing the NHL, graduated college and become a teacher, married and had children. He continued to work professional hockey locally. He also served as the president of LAHOA! James has work a number of finals and playoffs but last season, James and fellow LAHOA official, Brent Tubbs, worked the AHL All-Star game in Ontario.

James will continue to serve as one of the Anaheim Ducks video replay coordinators for home games and you will for sure see him teaching seminars and skating SCAHA, CAHA, ADHSHL, etc. games in an effort to help the next generation of LAHOA officials get to higher levels of hockey and maybe the NHL!

Congratulation on a great career, James!

The LAHOA Board of Directors approved a motion to not collect LAHOA dues for the 2020-21 season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is how it will work:

• If you were a registered LAHOA member for the 2019-20 season, your dues expiration date is being moved to August 31, 2021.
• If you have already paid your dues for the 2020-21 season, your dues expiration date will be moved to August 31, 2022.

Please note that USA Hockey is moving their expiration dates for officials, coaches and players to occur on August 31st of each year, instead of November 30th, starting in 2021.

To be current in our scheduling system, Time To Score, you will need to have completed your registration requirements for USA Hockey for the 2020-21 season. Once you have completed your USA Hockey requirements, you can use the link below to confirm your registration.

Confirm Your 2020-21 Registration

Lastly, to vote in the upcoming board member election, you must be a “member in good standing” to vote. Meaning you must be fully registered with LAHOA.

LAHOA would like to congratulate the newly appointed California Referee-In-Chief, Thi Tran! Thi takes over for Alex Morrison who joined the CAHA Board of Directors this summer. Congratulates from all of us at LAHOA, Thi!

From LAHOA President, Louis Magnifico:

LAHOA hosted it’s annual board meeting Saturday, June 27th. First I want to tip my hat to all of you who took the time to have their voice heard in our election! We had 5 officials trying to secure one of the 4 board positions open. The results are: Andrew Wilk @ 24%, Michael Pecolar @ 23%, Art Kitano @ 22%, Sara Paras @ 21% and Zack Davis @ 10%.

I want to thank Skip Crovo for serving on the board for several terms! He was a very valuable board member and always put LAHOA first. I would also like to thank Zack Davis for stepping up to run for the board.

After the new board was seated the following board members were elected to the Executive Board:

President – Louis Magnifico

Vice President  – Brett Martin

Treasurer – Sara Paras

Registrar – Scott Workman

Secretary – Michael Pecolar

I would like to take a moment to thank Steve Appley for all his contributions as Vice President this past season, I can tell you without him I would have not had any chance of success. He was at every seminar including Cal Camp and Arthur Kitano’s High School/ACHA/Junior camp. He supervised at one rink for every CAHA weekend and ran the High School State Finals to highlight a few of the assignments and tireless hours he put in to our association for you the members. 

We are still in a time of flux and many things are still not stable but we must continue on and prepare for next season. What is in our control is how we each prepare for the season when it does start. We have the power to make this our best season ever regardless of when we start. 

The LAHOA Board of Directors would like to congratulate Matthew Norman And Jake Rozenberg on their selection to work the 2020 Pacific District Tier 1 Championships in Tacoma, WA! The tournament will take place March 5th – 8th at the Tacoma Twin Rinks and is hosted by the Tacoma Jr. Rockets. The age groups that are competing at the championships are 14u AAA, 15u AAA, 16u AAA & 18u AAA with the winner of each group moving on to the National Championships! LAHOA wishes Matt the best this weekend. If you see Matt or Jake around the rinks, make sure to congratulate them!

The LAHOA Board of Directors would like to congratulate Keely Peters, Rebecca McFarland, Nicole Godwin and LAHOA’s very hard working Treasurer, Sara Parras on their selections to officiate the Pacific District Girls Tier I & Tier II Championships in Seattle, WA. The event took place over the weekend from February 27th to March 1st. Proudly hosting the event was Seattle Junior Hockey and the Lady Admirals. The age groups present were, 14u, 16u & 19u. The winners of each age group advance to USA Hockey’s National Championships! Next time you see these ladies at the rink, give them a big congratulatory high five!!!

LAHOA would like to again congratulate Andrew Wilk on his 3rd IIHF assignment! Andrew was selected to referee the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championships Division II Group B that took place January 28th-February 3rd in Gangnueng/Pyeongchang, South Korea. The same venue that hosted the Olympics!

Andrew has previously officiated the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, Russia and the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey U20 World Championships Division I Group A in Vienna, Austria.

The teams present for this years assignment are South Korea, Israel, Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands and China!

Andrew ultimately was selected to work the gold medal game between between South Korea and Croatia. South Korea won the game and was promoted to Division 2A while Israel was relegated to Division III. Also to note, former Los Angeles King, Jim Paek, is the head coach of South Korea!

A quote from Andrew, “[It is] always an extreme honor and privilege to be selected for a IIHF assignment.  I have a had a great time at every tournament meeting new friends, exploring different cultures and getting a break from the everyday grind of the long minor-pro season.”

Congratulations Wilky!

On Saturday, November 23rd at Great Park Ice & FIVEPoint Arena, LAHOA presented a donation to the American Cancer Society. Throughout the months of October and November, LAHOA officials donated game fees and wore custom referee and linesman sweaters while doing so. The games were primarily worked in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League (ADHSHL). The LAHOA officials donated a total of $4,485 in game fees and the Anaheim Ducks decided to match it! The total donation to the American Cancer Society on behalf of LAHOA was $8,970!

Click here to check out the full photo gallery

The LAHOA Board of Directors would like to announce its association wide support of Cancer Awareness during the months of October and November. LAHOA will be showings its support by wearing the universal color of lavender. During this time officials can wear lavender laces, tape, and any other lavender accessories to show their support of Cancer Awareness. LAHOA isn’t just flying colors, we are giving our officials the chance to donate their game fees in support of the cure to cancer. At the end of November, LAHOA will be taking those donated game fees and donating them all to The American Cancer Society.

The ADHSHL will be providing officials the chance to wear custom lavender stripped referee and linesman sweater during games in which the game fees are being donated. We are also going to be doing this with CAHA and SCAHA games. The first of which happened at Great Park Ice & FIVEPoint Arena on Wednesday, October 16th. Many more are planned and we ask that you call share your photos online as well as send them to the e-mail below so that they can be posted on the website as well as the LAHOA Facebook Group and Instagram page. After all, it is about creating awareness.

LAHOA Facebook Group | LAHOA Instagram

E-mail Webmaster Pictures!

PLEASE ask your scheduler how you can get on a crew and donate!