Veteran WolfPack blueliner earning his strips as a linesman in the WHL

Mike Boisvert is seeing a lot of ice these days.

Not only is the 23 year old taking a regular turn on the blue line with the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Men’s hockey team, but he is also a Level 4 official who his working in the Western Hockey League, the BC Hockey League and the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League this season.

“I’ve been officiating for ten years,” says the native of Trail, B.C. “But this is my second year doing the WHL. My home rink was Cranbrook.”

Boisvert transferred from Selkirk College to take Business at Thompson Rivers University this year. He is juggling not only courses, but three practices a week with the WolfPack hockey team. Add to that, games with TRU in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League. That’s not to mention his officiating.

“I average 2 to 3 WHL games a month," he says. “I do a lot of BCHL games, which I line as well. As far as the KIJHL goes, I ref about 1-2 games per month.”

He feels that playing the game at the same time as being an official has helped in both realms.

“When I was younger (He started officiating at age 13), it was tougher to separate the two . It’s given me a new point of view to look at hockey from. When I’m playing, I try not to critique based on what I would call, as I know how hard it is, and understand from my experience that from different angles and view points, a situation can look completely different. Plus, everyone is out there doing the best they can.”

Boisvert's ability to play and officiate at high levels has caught the eye of Western Hockey League Supervisor of Officials Gerard Hayes of Kamloops.

“Mike shows a lot of interest and enthusiasm. He is a quick learner and is eager to be a better official,” he says. “His communication with the players would come more naturally because he better understands the emotion that comes from playing the game.”

Although he doesn’t wear a letter on his sweater when playing with the WolfPack, he has helped out in certain situations.

“There have been a few times where I’ve been able to help our captains out in dealing with officials,” he adds, noting that because he is an official, he has taken some minor razzing from his teammates. Officiating and playing at the same time of his life has provided other interesting situations. For instance, he’ll step on the ice with the WolfPack to find that some of the game officials are people he has worked alongside with.

“It’s happened a few times this year,” he laughs. “One of my good friends Dexter has officiated a couple of our games and I’ve given him a hard time about things. Since I know most of them, I try not to critique them too much. But, I like to catch them on certain aspects and give them a hard time about it.”

What does the future hold? Now that he is officiating in Junior hockey, does he want to make his way to the NHL someday?

“I haven’t really set the NHL as a goal,” Boisvert explains. “I am trying to focus on my schooling right now. But, if at some point down the road, I had the chance to make the jump to the NHL, I would definitely take it.”

Hayes agrees: “Many of our linesmen move up to become referees. Being an official in the WHL already places him in the best Junior leagues in the country.”

 Whether that happens or not, Mike Boisvert knows he is in a special situation. He does have advice for younger players who want to try officiating.

“I would encourage anyone who loves the game to give officiating a shot at some point. You may find you like it. And, worst case scenario, if you don’t like it, you learn more about the game and put some extra cash in your pocket.”

ICING: Boisvert played his junior hockey with the KIJHL Beaver Valley Nighthawks. The WolfPack return to action in the BC Intercollegiate Hockey League on January 8th in Victoria. Their next home game is Saturday, January 23rd at 8:45 pm at Memorial Arena. Their opponents are the Victoria Vikes.