Officials Announced for 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge
CALGARY, AB – Hockey Canada announced on Thursday a list of 17 officials – six referees and 11 linesmen – who will work the games at the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, to in London, ON and surrounding communities.
Following is the list of officials who have been chosen for the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge:
Referees:
Ryan Bonnett - Hockey Alberta
Ben Buxton - Ontario Hockey Federation
Craig Fairbairn - Ottawa District Hockey Association
Trevor Hanson - BC Hockey
Jonathan McIsaac - Hockey Nova Scotia
Ryan Murphy - Hockey New Brunswick
Linesmen:
Steve Cochrane - Hockey Alberta
Alexandre Cote - Hockey Quebec
Andrew Cutcliffe - Hockey PEI
Jason Faist - Ontario Hockey Federation
TJ Foster - Ontario Hockey Federation
Jarett Gelowitz - Saskatchewan Hockey Association
Matthew Lawrence - Saskatchewan Hockey Association
Nicholas Leduc - Hockey Quebec
Dave Robichaud - Hockey Quebec
Darrell Surminski - Hockey Manitoba
Drew Williams - Ontario Hockey Federation
The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge is a 10-team tournament that includes five Canadian regional teams (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, West and Pacific) and five international teams (Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia and USA). The event is the first step of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, which also includes the National Men’s Under-18 Team and the National Junior Team.
Just as the players use this event to progress through the Program of Excellence, so do the officials. Todd Anderson, Hockey Canada’s manager of officiating, says the officials at the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge have been chosen from a crop of the top officials in Canada.
“These are the referees and linesmen that you’ll be seeing in the future at Under-18 tournaments and, possibly, the IIHF World Junior Championship,” Anderson says. “These officials have worked hard to get to this point. We’re proud to have officials from all over Canada for this tournament.”