A Decade of Women’s Hockey Officiating with Chelsea Rapin, Part One
Chelsea Rapin reveals how refereeing has broadened her horizons and kept her tethered to hockey.
It’s 3-3 with 6 seconds left in the 2016 ACHA National Championship game.
The puck drops, triggering a mad scramble in a team’s defensive zone. Amidst the chaos and as the time ticks away, a player falls on the puck. The final buzzer silences the arena and both teams turn to the official – her arm reaches towards the sky.
Two minutes for Delay of Game. Brutal!
Despite several desperate plea attempts, the call stands. Through dirty fingerprinted and puck-marked glass, the player watches from the box as the other team sinks the title-clinching overtime goal. Frustrated and guilty thoughts rung about the player's head for seasons to come:
“It wasn’t my fault I got pushed onto the puck.”
“I didn’t have my hands on it so it wasn’t a penalty.”
“She wasn’t going to call anything until the team went over and complained about it.” You get the idea.
