Irene LePage Profile - Lady Zebra Home Ice

Mary Owen [see Mary's profile, April '01] got me interested in becoming a referee in 1998. In that first year I officiated around 10 games, all for NCWHL. The next year I branched out to doing children's games, as a linesman, in addition to more NCWHL games. By 2000, I was doing children's, NCWHL, and the men's/coed games.

Why did you become an ice hockey official?
I became a referee not only to improve my skating skills, but also to become more knowledgeable of hockey and its many rules. In addition, it was another way of staying in the sport all year, and I liked getting paid for enjoying hockey.

What's the best thing about being an ice hockey official?
To me, it's the fun of the sport, seeing the children play so hard and still be happy after, whether they win or lose. Also, the money I am making for having fun is pretty nice, too.

What's the worst thing about being an ice hockey official?
When I ref the men's beginner teams, I sometimes get hit by them, or by a puck, and once in awhile they complain pretty loudly. But it has only made me stronger and more confident- I don't put up with their complaints as much as I did when I first started.

How do you think being a woman has affected your career, good or bad, as an official?
When I have refereed the women's tournament games in Las Vegas, many women told me they were glad to see more women refs doing women's games, which made me want to improve my reffing skills and move up in the ranks. Also, being a woman in a sport that has traditionally been a man's sport encourages me to be the best I can be.

What are your goals as an official?
I'd like to be able to see the whole ice, and therefore see penalties as they happen, and not miss too many. Also, I wish to become a better, faster, skater.

Relate a memorable event you've had as an official.
Last month [April '01] I had the honor of officiating a PHA [Pacific Hockey Association] game in the Shark Tank, after a Sharks' game. I was amazed at how big the arena was- from my point of view on the ice, the seats went up to nowhere, and the clock was so big, I had to skate to the boards to see it. And there were about 30 fans; to me that was a large crowd. I never thought I would be able to keep up with the men on such a big ice, but I did a fine job, called a few penalties, and it was fun. I would like to do that again, next season.

I started playing hockey here in California, in 1995. Back then there were only the Blue (Intermediate/Advanced) and the Red (Beginner) Divisions in NCWHL. I played in the beginner level, then moved to intermediate around two years later. The team I started with needed a goalie, so I volunteered, not knowing anything about goaltending. I couldn't skate as well as I would have liked, and skating ability didn't seem to matter to being a goalie. That is one of the reasons I decided to become a referee- to improve my skating skills.

Irene has been a mainstay of the Northern California Women's Hockey League [NCWHL] almost since she first joined the league. In the past few seasons she has been the Goalkeeper Coordinator as well as playing goal, serving as Red and Maroon Division Coordinators, and officiating and scorekeeping games.

She now lives in Fremont, but is originally from Canada, where she first enjoyed hockey as played by the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and her brothers. At age 48, though, she will soon be entering a new phase in her life; she will become an American citizen. At a recent Vancouver Canucks/Sharks game, Irene proudly wore a "USA" sweatshirt and even cheered loudly for the San Jose Sharks.
Now THAT's American!

During the day, Irene is a Medical Assistant at Kaiser Hospital.