Sask. referees excited to officiate at upcoming Winter Olympics

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.

Murray grew up with her two brothers in Cudworth, Sask., about 50 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

"So naturally I had told my parents,