It wasn’t until her first hot lap that Olympic referee Samantha Hiller realized she had made it.

Skating around the rink in Italy, Hiller gazed up at the scoreboards and the crowd-filled arena surrounding her, taking in for the first time the magnitude of the stage she was on.

“I was like, Wow,” said Hiller, “I finally did it.”

In those same Olympic games, the United States marked its name in history when both the men’s and women’s hockey teams took home gold.

Hiller, one of Lake Forest Fire Department’s own firefighters, was just one of twelve women selected nationally to officiate the women’s tournament and was one of four Americans on the ice.

It wasn’t a short or easy process to achieve the Olympic level. It took her years of hard work to gain national recognition.

Hiller played hockey growing up and started refereeing when she was only 12 years old, originally hoping for some extra ice time and a paycheck in the process.

“It was better than babysitting,” said Hiller.

But what started as a side hustle quickly became something bigger. Hiller ended up falling in love with it. She continued to officiate throughout high school, growing her skillset. As she got older, she began to receive attention for her obvious knack for the profession.

“I started being identified locally as somebody who had potential, so they started sending me to training camps,” said Hiller.

At 18, fresh after graduating, Hiller attended a national camp where she was approached. She was told that if officiating was something she enjoyed and wanted to pursue, she could very well have a future in it if trained properly.

They told her she would be able to travel the world, go to championships, and maybe even one day, if she dared to dream, go to the Olympics. The endless range of possibilities intrigued Hiller.

“I didn’t know that officiating had so many options,” she said. “I just thought I was gonna be stuck working local Utah hockey forever.”

From that point on, Hiller started taking officiating more seriously. She began trying to take higher-level games and constantly looked for ways to improve. She set her mind to working on something every game.

While moving up the ranks, Hiller was introduced into the demanding world of elite-level officiating.  A referee’s job is often overlooked, but it’s about more than just knowing the rules.

“Hockey takes a special person to officiate,” said Brett Straley, one of the directors for the Illinois Hockey Officials Association (IHOA).

Straley emphasizes the wide breadth of skills required to be a successful referee, highlighting the importance of strong communication, especially since referees are managing every aspect of the game with no breaks.

“Without a referee, the game just doesn’t happen,” said Straley.

When it came to progressing as Hiller wanted to do, it was all about repetition. Fortunately for her, Chicago is a hockey hub. Its central location and wide range of levels attract competition from all over the US. Because of this depth, Chicago is known for fostering great referees.

“We run somewhere between 800 and 1,500 games per week,” said Straley. “Some of the best officials in the country are coming out of this area. It’s incredible.”

For upcoming refs, these opportunities mean everything. Officiating more and more games increases visibility and makes it more likely that they will be invited to training camps in the future.

“We plug people out here,” said Straley. “You never know who’s in the building.”

This is exactly how Hiller was introduced into the professional world. In fact, she started working men’s games first. In 2021, the American Hockey League, a feeder for the NHL, began to hire women as officials. The 10 women they brought in became the first ever female referees to work in men’s professional hockey. Hiller was one of those 10.

“It was a really big jump for the sport,” said Hiller.
”It’s mostly been male-dominated for all these years. We’re just now starting to break down some of those barriers.”

Hiller believes her timing could not have been more perfect. She expressed how fortunate she was to have gotten in when she did. However, Hiller was still balancing a full-time job as a firefighter and had to find ways to accommodate both professions.

Traditionally, firefighters at her station work 24 hours on and 48 hours off. To make time for hockey tournaments and international travel, Hiller relied heavily on her coworkers to trade shifts.

“I still worked the same amount of time as everybody else,” said Hiller. “It’s just that I moved my schedule around to accommodate my hockey schedule.”

At 19, Hiller was officially certified for international refereeing through the International Ice Hockey Federation. She worked her first international tournament at 21. The federation was able to watch Hiller over the years and began selecting her for top women’s tournaments.

In 2022, four years before the winter games in Italy, the selection process for the Olympics began.  Every tournament was an opportunity to try out: all of the top referees were constantly being evaluated.

“They called it the road to Milano,” said Hiller.

Slowly, officials were weeded out, and the group was narrowed down. Finally, Hiller found out she had made the cut last Oct.

From there, Hiller needed to ensure that she stayed in top shape and minimized her risks. Officiating is a process that never stops. There is always room to improve and skills to brush up on.

“You keep learning as you go,” said Straley. “38 years into this now for me, I’m still reading the rule book every single day.”

Hiller stayed focused, kept up with her physical training, and continued to work games. Eventually, the Olympics came. However, once she arrived in Italy, it wasn’t the size of the arena or the international spotlight that mattered most to Hiller. In fact, many of her fondest memories had nothing to do with the games themselves. During one of her matchups, her parents and step-parents were all in the stands watching and supporting her.

“I could just feel how proud my family was,” said Hiller. “It meant a lot to more than just me.”

Hiller did her best to soak up every moment, even putting her phone away for the majority of the time. She focused on the people around her, reflecting on the gratitude she had towards everyone who had a hand in her career.

According to Straley, this attitude is exactly what makes Hiller so great.

“Everything she does is for the good of the game,” he said. “It’s not for Sam Hiller. It’s not about her. It’s about doing the best thing she can within the game and giving back to the game.”

Through the IHOA, Hiller inspires and helps teach the next generation of great referees. Her experience has become more than just a personal achievement, and it’s one Hiller will cherish forever.

“Everyone always says enjoy it while you’re there. It’s just gonna fly by, and it did. It’s there, and then it’s gone,” she said.

This story was originally published on The Forest Scout on May 21, 2026.