At right, Buzzy Rickard, a local hockey official, drops the puck during a faceoff between Saranac Lake Placid’s Bailey Bartholomew and a Niskayuna hockey player during a game at the Saranac Lake Civic Center on Dec. 3, 2021.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)
SARANAC LAKE — For years, the Tri-Lakes region has hosted multiple hockey games and tournaments with hardly any issues, but that may not be the case for the upcoming youth hockey season.
USA Hockey supervisor Butch Martin says that youth hockey teams in the Tri-Lakes area might have to cancel games and potentially event tournaments if he can’t find more hockey officials for the upcoming hockey season.
There has been a nationwide shortage of youth sports officials. But for Martin, the situation in the Tri-Lakes region has caused particular concern.
“I used to have about a pool of 30 guys that I could reach out to on any given weekend. We could handle pretty much anything that came through here,” Martin said. “My pool of 30 is now about eight.”
Martin, of Lake Placid, said some officials have either moved on, aged out or just lost interest.
At right, Seann Cassidy, of Lake Placid, drops the puck during a faceoff between Saranac Lake Placid’s Noah Munn-Jennings and a Burnt Hill-Ballston Spa player during a game at the Saranac Lake Civic Center on Dec. 4, 2021.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)
“Specifically over the COVID years, we didn’t do anything in 2020,” Martin said. “The…
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