Pueblo youths serve as junior refs at Avs game during Hockey Week Across America
Wearing black and white stripes on long-sleeve shirts adorned with patches identifying them as "officials," Pueblo youths Hollis Cooper and Zeke Phillips stepped onto the ice with NHL officials to the sound of light-hearted boos — an enduring hockey tradition.
The two Pueblo teens were chosen to be junior referees at the Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames game on Feb. 25 at Denver's Ball Arena, where they received refereeing advice from NHL officials before the game and participated in the national anthem presentation on the ice. The honor was in celebration of Hockey Week Across America, an annual event hosted by USA Hockey since 2008.
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Cooper is an eighth-grader at the Connect Charter School. Phillips is a sophomore at Pueblo County High School.
Both are referees with the Southern Colorado Ice Hockey Referee Association and players of the sport. Cooper plays defenseman for the Pueblo Bulls Youth Hockey Association, and Phillips is a defenseman for his high school team.
While Cooper was honored to skate across the ice at Ball Arena and will root for the Avalanche on occasion, his favorite NHL team is the St. Louis Blues. He was introduced to the Blues by his uncle David Jacober — the late Pueblo police officer and son of Blues play-by-play announcer Ron Jacober. David gifted Cooper with his first Blues jersey, a T.J. Oshie number 74, when Cooper was 4 years old.
Cooper has been playing hockey since he was 7 and is in his first year as a referee. He has refereed games up to the 14U AA level and even broke up a few fights during a 14-year-olds recreational league game.
"You're just trying to talk to them and calm them down," Cooper said. "They are obviously really mad about something. You got to ask them, 'What's wrong, what happened?' (to) get into their shoes, try to feel what they are feeling but also take them to the box to get out of trouble."
Phillips doesn't remember a time when he wasn't involved in hockey. He began playing around 3 years old and has developed lifelong friendships with his teammates. He began refereeing a couple of years ago to give back to a sport that has brought him joy throughout his life. He has refereed games up to the 18U AA level. Being a referee requires "way more" skating than playing, he said.
"When you are playing, you get like 45 seconds to a minute, and then you are on the bench for quite a bit," Phillips said. "When you are refereeing, you are constantly moving. You are constantly making strides and you never get breaks."
Like Cooper, Phillips also is an avid watcher of the NHL. His favorite team is the Avalanche, and his favorite player is fellow defenseman Cale Makar. Phillips remembers the atmosphere at Ball Arena as "electric" on Feb. 25. He was not too concerned with the multitude of hockey fans watching him as he skated across the ice. He just focused on not falling and "making a fool" out of himself.
The Avalanche left the arena that night with a 4-1 win over Calgary, and the two junior referees left with wisdom imparted to them by NHL referees. The junior referees were told not to take jeers from fans too personally because they are directed at the black-and-white "colors" of a referee's sweater, not at the referee as an individual.
Junior referees also were told to skate as hard as they can, whether they are officiating a recreational game for 10-year-olds or an 18U AAA game — every player deserves their best.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached by email at JBartolo@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: 2 Pueblo teens serve as junior referees at Colorado Avalanche game
