Scott Gaffney: Lead Official In Illinois, On and Off The Ice

Scott Gaffney has been officiating for 10 years and worked about 250 games last season.

“I officiate regularly at Fifth Third Arena, Johnny’s Icehouse and Heartland Ice Arena, and frequently travel for NCAA and SPHL assignments. At the high school level, I primarily work on the North Shore, in Glenview, Winnetka and the surrounding areas,” he said. “I try to keep active by doing anywhere from four to 10 games a week, but my focus is at home and building MCHO from the ground up.”

Ah yes, Mid-Coast Hockey Officials, a new player on the local scene this season.

MCHO is centralizing all Illinois and regional game assignments for officials on a single platform to improve efficiency, streamlining the assignment process for associations, leagues and officials. MCHO also eliminated registration costs for officials on the assignment platform and is paying officials at the beginning of each month (5th–10th) for the prior month’s games, moving up from the previous 15th-of-the-month pay date. MCHO is continuing mentorship, evaluation and supervision programs in a more focused and efficient manner. Plus, MCHO is developing a structured training and education program to enhance retention and quality of grassroots officials.

MCHO is collaborating with IHOA on official education and registration at all levels.

“I served as (IHOA) vice president before stepping down to dedicate my efforts to MCHO. In addition, I contributed as a member of the Rules and Ethics Committee and later established the Communication Committee in response to feedback from the 2024 Annual Meeting,” Gaffney said. “Currently, my focus has shifted to serving as a liaison between IHOA’s priorities and the development of MCHO.”

Gaffney is part of the MCHO assignment team with Mike Nargie, Brett Straley and Dave Zednik.

“We encountered significant challenges in configuring our new software to meet operational requirements. As a result, we transitioned to Horizon (WebRef), though the mid-season implementation proved more complex than anticipated. Over a 14-day period, I worked extensively to migrate scheduled games to ensure officials were compensated while simultaneously preparing the upcoming month’s assignments. Unfortunately, this process disrupted game operations and created ongoing difficulties for officials and assignors, which we are still working diligently to resolve.

“We are in a solid position today, but our goal is to refine our processes for the long term. We want to ensure that the right officials are assigned to the appropriate games, that clubs, teams and leagues have a clear avenue to communicate their needs, and that we can respond in real time to maintain full coverage. At the same time, we are focused on advancing officials in a thoughtful and structured manner.”

Gaffney, 33, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Salem, New Hampshire. He is a Level 4 official who is primarily working Tier I midgets, high school, NCAA Division III, SPHL and junior hockey.

Career highlights for Gaffney include the 2023 SPSHL semifinals and the 2023 Illinois High School Hockey State Championship Game (Red Division) at the United Center, plus several USA Hockey national events, including Tier I U14 and high school nationals.

“I spent time out east (last season working college games) with Brett Straley,” Gaffney said. “Together, we covered Stonehill and Lindenwood—two programs that went on to make some noise shortly after our visit. Stonehill later knocked off No. 9 UMass-Lowell, while Lindenwood took down powerhouse Notre Dame. 

“I had multiple weekends in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, through Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.”

This season, he said, “every game I work is fun (though) I can’t get to the rink as much anymore as I’m spending more time at home than I have in years past.”

Gaffney broke into officiating a decade ago, first working a squirt game at an outdoor rink in New Canaan, Connecticut. During that first assignment, he assessed a cross-checking penalty, yet forgot the guilty player’s number. “My partner that day was our local referee-in-chief, which only added to the pressure,” he said, laughing. “Despite the early jitters, the Connecticut assignors quickly recognized my potential and accelerated my development, assigning me to bantam games shortly thereafter.

“At first, (officiating) was for some extra cash and keep my life in check on the weekends, but then I fell in love with the community, exercise and wanted to advance as much as possible while having fun.”

Gaffney has progressed quickly to higher-level games, thanks to IHOA, too.

“Our programs have enhanced through the involvement of qualified partners trained via the ADP and the creation of comprehensive training materials for both three- and four-official systems—resources from which I have personally benefited,” he said. “These efforts have been complemented by seminars and training sessions led by distinguished officials, many of whom have progressed to the highest levels of the sport, including the Olympics, NCAA Division I and professional leagues such as the ECHL and AHL.”

Gaffney kicked off the 2025-26 season with off-ice joy: the birth of his daughter, Nora. And his son, Parker, is now 2.

Plus, he started a fully remote role with Recurrent after seven years at RWE Renewables in downtown Chicago. “Combined with the launch of MCHO and my responsibility for ensuring full officiating coverage across youth, high school and college games, it has been a busy (past few months),” Gaffney said. “I’m confident we now have the right team in place to support the growth of our officiating community, with strong leadership in both coaching and assignments.”

Gaffney is the director of project finance at Recurrent Energy.

“IHOA granted me the opportunity to grow by teaching younger officials through the ADP, mentoring and through our seminars and I was able to launch the communications committee with monthly newsletters to keep our community informed, respected with rule updates and video reviews,” he said.

When asked about his favorite officiating story, Gaffney told the tale from a few seasons ago: “I experienced one of those weeks where everything seemed to converge at once,” he said. “Fresh off celebrating my wife’s 30th birthday in Palm Springs, I was scheduled to officiate a Quad City game on a Tuesday. Severe tornado warnings forced the game to be moved to Wednesday, leaving me to juggle travel logistics with a scheduled ultrasound. In the midst of that hectic stretch, Gene Binda approached me with the opportunity to take over Chicago USPHL assigning—a pivotal moment that reshaped my path in officiating.

“That decision led to partnerships with Brett Straley and later Craig Welker, and together we established Mid-Coast Hockey Officials. Alongside Mike Nargie and Dave Zednik, we now oversee youth and high school hockey assignments across the region. Looking back, it all traces to being in the right place at the right time and saying yes when circumstances shifted. That single conversation about moving a game not only built credibility but also opened doors that continue to shape my career today.”

Gaffney offered praise to many who have helped his journey, including Brett Straley, Matt McManus, Blair Bigwood, Brian Smolicek, John Cerza, Jack Raslawski, Craig Welker, Brian Fisher, Brad Baumruck, Joe Genovese, Gene Binda, David Canon, Edmund Vogrich, Steven Gapski and others.

“We cannot play our great game without officials. We are doing everything we can to promote the best guys to work the best games across our state and I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we look to be great in assigning, development and advancement. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and MCHO won’t be either.”