by – David McPherson
On January 17, King Rebellion will be in Oakville to take on the Oakville Blades – Laura Gutauskas will make OHA history as part of an all women’s officiating crew that also includes: Hillary Brennan, Lacy Senuk and Marlowe Schott. This is the second profile on these outstanding officials
Cambridge, ON – From playing in the Women’s Hockey Association with the Brampton Canadettes and the North Halton Twisters to officiating in the PWHL Finals, Laura Gutauskas shows how a childhood passion can become a viable vocation.
“My mom pushed me to start refereeing when I was 14 as a part-time job,” she recalls. “It was good income for a teenager.”
Born and raised in Brampton, Ontario, Laura recently moved to Breslau — a rural community on the outskirts of Kitchener-Waterloo. Now in her late twenties, working as an on-ice official in several leagues still provides Laura with a good income. When she is not calling the lines, she works a full-time government job.
In her formative years, Laura enjoyed playing other sports, including soccer. In high school, the athlete discovered field lacrosse. During her first two years at the University of Guelph (where she graduated from with an Honors BA, majoring in sociology and minoring in family and child studies) Laura was a member of the varsity lacrosse team. In her third year, she dropped the sport to focus on school and her growing passion for officiating — working more games and getting bigger and better on-ice assignments.
“That is when my officiating career really took off,” she says.
Laura is one of only six OHA officials licensed to officiate IIHF events during the 2024-2025 season; she credits Scott Driscoll, who spent 28 years as an NHL linesman, for his mentorship and encouragement. “Scott has really supported and pushed me to be a better linesperson.”
Best Seat in the House
Despite hanging up her skates as a player — joking that she could probably still “play defense” — Laura gets her hockey fix officiating. “It’s the best seat in the house to watch a game,” she says.
On any given weekend during the hockey season, you will find Laura wearing the black and white stripes, officiating in an arena somewhere; she might work an OUA women’s game one night followed by an OHA or PWHL game the next.
“Every game is different and every year the players get better,” Laura comments. “And, no two games are the same. That’s what keeps me engaged and not looking to retire from officiating anytime soon!”
A pair of Laura’s career highlights occurred last season: working the bronze medal game at the 2024 IIHF Women’s Championship in Utica, New York and skating Game 4 of the PWHL Finals between Boston and Minnesota — a game that featured the controversial “goal, no goal” for Minnesota in the second overtime, which was overturned due to goaltender interference. In these tense situations, when calls can affect a game’s outcome, Laura says it’s crucial that the officiating crew stick together. This camaraderie, along with the ongoing support from her on-ice colleagues and OHA staff, are just two more reasons why she loves this job.
“The support from all of my supervisors and area managers has been unbelievable,” Laura says. “I have nothing but good things to say about the OHA … everyone has been so supportive and genuinely interested in helping me further develop my skills.”
While a long-term goal is to possibly work an NHL game, for now Laura takes it “day by day.” And besides, the OHA official has no spare hours right now to entertain these dreams anyway. When she is not working her full-time day job, or officiating, she devotes this rare downtime to keeping her pet out of trouble.
“I have a little kitten, so she’s kind of my third full time job!” Laura concludes.
About the Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) was founded on November 27, 1890, and is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior hockey in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is a Member Partner of the Ontario Hockey Federation which is one of thirteen Provincial and Regional Branches of Hockey Canada.
It is comprised of three Junior hockey leagues and two Senior hockey leagues: Junior A – Ontario Junior Hockey League; Junior B – Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League; Junior C – Provincial Junior Hockey League, Senior – Allan Cup Hockey (AAA) and Ontario Elite Hockey League (AA). For the 2023-24 season, these five leagues encompass 125 teams.
The objectives of the OHA are to foster and encourage the sport of amateur hockey, to conduct competition in the various categories established, to determine teams for entry into the inter-branch competitions that may be provided by Hockey Canada, and to provide for the affiliation of other hockey organizations.
The OHA provides administrative resources, coordinates programs, services and events for hockey participants and provides support to various Development Programs for coaches, officials, trainers and players, Safety and Risk Management Issues and offers resources for Harassment and Abuse education.
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For more information or to set up an interview, please contact:
Chris McCleary
General Manager, Operations & Marketing
Ontario Hockey Association
