If 13-year-old Kryssa-Lee Yeo was nervous about missing an offside or icing call while working as a linesperson for a girls hockey game in Summerside on Sunday, she needn’t worry.
Her sisters have her back.
That’s because they were on the ice too — 14-year-old Cassidy as the other linesperson and 16-year-old Brae-Lynn as the referee.
“We just look out for each other a lot. Like, we really see each other out there,” Brae-Lynn said.
While Kryssa-Lee, the least experienced of the three, said it is great to have her sisters by her side, Brae-Lynn said it doesn’t mean they’ll go easy on each other.
“I think that just comes with being siblings, like there’s no getting around it. We’ll definitely be yelling at each other, like, ‘Get over there’ and all that.”
Brae-Lynn said her love of hockey continues to grow every time she steps on the ice either as a player or a referee, and it’s even more special when she can share that joy with her sisters.
“My whole world just shifts every time I’m on the ice. It just makes me so happy when I’m out there skating.”
Brae-Lynn, with red armbands, says her ‘whole world shifts’ when she’s on the ice. (Connor Lamont/CBC)
Brae-Lynn has been climbing the officiating ranks on P.E.I. She was invited to officiate at the Atlantic Challenge Cup in Moncton last month, where she worked games with players her own age and older.
She said it’s “awesome” to ref a game with her sisters, and hopes it inspires other girls to get involved in officiating.
“We need more female refs,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with the guys, don’t get me wrong — but it’s more special to have, like, an all-girl team working with all-girl players.”
‘We’re so proud’
Scott Gaudet, the director of officiating for Summerside Minor Hockey Association, said it’s not something you see often.
“We’re so proud of the Yeo sisters and to have them, the three of them on the same ice surface … it’s a rare occasion, but we’re so proud to be part of it.”
And as for Kryssa-Lee, she just wants to enjoy the moment before seeing her siblings at home again after the game.
“It’s just really fun to be with them whenever I can.”