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Two Saskatchewan referees are heading to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.
Moose Jaw’s Michelle McKenna and Cudworth’s Cianna Murray have been selected as referees for the women’s hockey tournament.
McKenna said she gets goosebumps thinking about officiating at the Olympics.
“All of the off-ice work — whether that’s training, whether that’s power skating, whether that’s mental performance — all of that hard work that we’ve put in over the years, it’s all been worth it,” McKenna said.
McKenna and Murray will work the preliminary round and have a chance to work the medal round, depending on their performance.
“We never want to miss a call or make the wrong call on the ice, so there’s definitely that in-game pressure to perform,” Murray said.
And the officials, like the players, are competing to get into the gold medal game.
“It’s all performance-based,” Murray said.
Not only are the two women world-calibre refs, but they are also great friends. They were the maid of honour at each other’s weddings.
McKenna said having a close friend and colleague at the Games is a bonus.
“It’s a high-pressure situation and to have somebody that you’re so close with and that you trust, if you had a bad day or you need to work through anything, you have that person there with you,” she said.
“It’s just incredible to share that experience together and it’s lifelong memories that we’ll get to share.”
McKenna, who now lives in Regina, got into officiating as a teenager.
“I was hooked immediately.… You’re working on your skating skills, you’re working on all aspects of being involved in the game.
The 306Two Sask. women selected to officiate hockey in 2026 Olympics
Cianna Murray and Michelle McKenna join The 306 to talk about being selected as hockey referees for 2026 Olympics.
Murray grew up with her two brothers in Cudworth, Sask., about 50 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
“So naturally I had told my parents, whatever the boys got to do, I get to do it too,” Murray said. “That’s how I really started playing hockey. I followed my brother into the sport and I really did fall in love with it.”
When her brother decided to become a referee, Murray also tried it out.
“I didn’t really know what I was signing up for at first, and really fell in love with reffing hockey more than I did playing.”
This is Murray’s second Olympic Games. She officiated in the COVID-era games in Beijing, China, which required that she spend two weeks before the Games in isolation and then stay in a tight bubble during the Games.
“We did miss out on the true experience of bringing our family over and having those family and friends coming, and sharing that experience with them,” she said.
“We didn’t really get to go take in all the other sports that they had, so that’s something I’m really looking forward to this time.”
McKenna and Murray aren’t the only Saskatchewan officials going to the games.
Linespersons Tarrington Wyonzek from Yorkton and Alex Clarke from Drake have also been selected to officiate women’s hockey at the Winter Games, which run Feb. 6-22 in northern Italy.
All four regularly officiate in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
