The following is an article I wrote about the University of Maine
students who were replacement officials for the Jan. 28
Northeastern vs. Maine game at Alfond.
 
Copyright (C) 1994 The Maine Campus
 
By Ryan Robbins
Sports Writer
 
     Something was different when the officials took to the ice at
Alfond Arena prior to the Jan. 28 Northeastern vs. Maine hockey
game.
     Instead of two referees and one linesman there were two
linesmen and one referee. And who were those linesmen, neither of
whom were wearing NCAA nor Hockey East patches or names on the
backs of their jerseys?
     The linesmen for that night's game were Joe Mercadante and Jim
Bureau, two high school officials who also happened to be seniors
at the University of Maine.
     That night's scheduled referees were unable to make the trip
to Orono from Boston because of bad weather.
     Realizing this might happen, Hockey East officials had called
Mike Tuell, who was scheduled to be the linesman, late that morning
to ask him if he would be willing to referee the game alone if he
could get two high school officials to do the lines. Tuell, who's
president of the Maine chapter of the National Ice Hockey Officials
Association, said yes.
     Mercadante, a psychology major, was studying at his home when
Tuell called him around noon and asked if he would be willing to
help officiate that night.
     "I got myself mentally prepared," Mercadante said, "but I also
at the same time told myself not to get my hopes up too much."
     Bureau, an electrical engineering technology major, got the
call while "eating and watching t.v," about an hour before game
time. He was looking forward to being one of the goal judges that
night. Being asked to officiate in a Division I hockey game between
defending national champion UMaine and nationally ranked
Northeastern was a bit too far fetched for him.
     "I really didn't think it was real," Bureau said. "I thought
he was joking around and stuff. After he kept telling me it finally
hit me."
     Tuell said he chose Mercadante and Bureau, both of whom are in
their third years of officiating, because he knew they could handle
it.
     "They're younger guys, they're looking to move up," he said.
"And I wanted to get them in there, give them the opportunity."
     When Bureau arrived Tuell gave him and Mercadante a crash
course on the mechanics differences between the three-man
collegiate system and the two-man high school system. Tuell also
met with the captains for both teams and explained the situation to
them.
     "I just laid it out to them," Tuell said. "I said, 'I'm
working it alone in terms of calling penalties and I expect your
cooperation.'"
     Although the game was the big time in contrast to high school
games, after having officiated in close to 300 games in less than
three years, Mercadante said he didn't find it any more difficult
to relax when it came time for the opening face off.
     "Maybe I should have been a little more nervous," he said.
"But I didn't really have any trouble relaxing. Quite frankly, I
think Mike Tuell was more nervous than I was."
     Tuell may or may not have been more nervous than Mercadante,
but he was comfortable as the lone referee. As the only referee, he
said he didn't need to be worried about whether line calls were
going to be made.
     "When you feel like your partners are in the game and they
know what's going on (it) makes it a lot easier for you as a
referee," he said. "I felt very comfortable with them."
     Bureau said it didn't take him as long to become relaxed as he
thought. "When I first got out there I was pretty nervous," he
said. "Right after the puck was dropped, after a couple of minutes
I was all set."
     Bureau said that having worked with Tuell and Mercadante at
high school games helped him to relax.
     Mercadante and Bureau said the faster-pace play wasn't too
difficult. Bureau said he welcomed the experience. "You have to be
on top of your calls a lot quicker," he said, adding that the
faster-pace play stood out in his mind as distinguishing high
school players who are learning to handle the puck from experienced
college players who already know what to do.
     Tuell had nothing but praise for Mercadante's and Bureau's
work after the game. "They were excellent!" he said with a gleeful
laugh. "They did a fantastic job."
     Not only did Tuell have praise for Mercadante's and Bureau's
work, but Maine head coach Shawn Walsh did, too.
     "They were composed, and they kept control of the game, Walsh
said. "You wouldn't have known that they were replacement
officials."
     Bureau said that while it was an honor to be chosen to help
officiate the game, he doesn't see himself as any more special when
he does high school games.
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