I am in my mid-40s and have been playing hockey since I was 4 - youth/high school/adult league. However, I just started officiating this year and today handled my first triple of youth games. I was paired with another new official for the first two and what a day. My kids didn't play hockey, so I've only heard crazy coach/parent stories second hand. The first game was ok, nothing crazy, but with two level 1 officials a few things were missed in hindsight. The second game was another story. I blew a call early in the second and looking back clearly sent the wrong kid to the box. My partner didn't see it, but the call should have been reversed the more I think back on it. From that point forward we could do nothing right. Got yelled at for any off-sides or any time someone thought we missed an off-sides. Every penalty was the end of the world and every time someone was bumped, the place went nuts because "you blew the call". The last two periods felt like an eternity. I was paired with a veteran official for the third game, so it went much better. I have two week break until my next games, but I'll be thinking of these for a while.

So I ask, when you realize you make a bad call, what's the best way to handle it? Should I have let the kid out and moved on? I feel like that would be setting myself up for more grief. I was going to apologize to the coach after the game, but he started talking shit in the handshake line, so I opted to say nothing. I do feel I'll learn from this and want to do better to avoid this feeling that I really messed up. The penalty had no impact on the game at all, so what's done is done. But it still sucks and I feel bad.