(Middlefield, OH - ) As Joe Sherman began his 14th year at Cardinal Local Schools this past fall, he’s found pure fun and enjoyment outside of the classroom.
Sherman grew up locally in Mentor, Ohio where he graduated from Mentor High School. He began his hockey journey at a young age, thanks to an after school program where students learn the fundamentals of ice skating. After the after school program, Sherman began playing hockey with the Mentor Youth Hockey organization after he won race day for the skate program after school, dating back to 1988. This program allows children to ice skate for an hour and a half, where city transportation picks them up at dismissal time and drops them off at the rink. Despite a lack of lessons provided, the program allows students a chance to stay active in a safe arena.
“Hockey has been a passion of mine since I participated in the game as a youth in elementary school,” said Sherman. “I fell in love with skating and the speed of the game, the quick decision making and hard hitting which got me interested in the game. That and it was 1988 and nobody else played hockey. It was a niche sport. I played because my friends didn't.”
Once he entered high school, Sherman played for the Cardinals varsity team where they won the Baron Cup II Championship in 1995 also known as being crowned city champions. The Baron Cup in hockey is a part of the Greater Cleveland Hockey High School League which was first formed in 1970. Fast forward several years later, there are 34 teams that now compete in the league including local schools such as; Mentor, Kenston, Aurora and Solon.
After high school Sherman continued his athletic and academic career at SUNY Cortland located in Cortland, New York just south of Syracuse. Shortly after SUNY, Sherman transferred to Kent State University where he played for the Golden Flashes.
Sherman eventually put a pause on hockey when he ended the 2001-2002 season. Before graduating from Cleveland State University, Sherman would get married in the fall of 2002. In the Spring of 2004, Sherman then eventually graduated with a Middle School Education degree with a concentration in Social Studies and Science.
He would first be placed at Mentor Schools and then later moved to Euclid City Schools for a few years. Sherman was only there for a short period of time before applying to a science position at Cardinal Middle School in 2006.
When putting a halt on hockey, Sherman knew that he wanted to still be around the game. He began officiating in 2004 wanting to earn some extra cash while finishing up his degree. Sherman would start at the very bottom of the officiating reign, first with the youth teams under USA Hockey. They would then offer camps so athletes and officials could earn a chance to play and work for higher level teams. He would later accept the offer, officiating for both regional and national play so that he could improve his skills as an official.
“When I first started officiating, there was a gentleman in our local association that was a high school ELA teacher, where he officiated downtown at Rocket Mortgage Field House. That was my goal,” said Sherman of seeing his same desires and aspirations play out for someone like him.
That would be just the beginning for Sherman who continued the quest for officiating for the best. He started officiating for the Ontario Hockey League in 2006 due to the lack of officials who couldn’t get over the border to Erie, Pennsylvania. Shortly after that Sherman commenced his days as a collegiate official.
“I started working the NCAA Division I college hockey in the College Hockey America Conference, which is no longer around, as it was absorbed by other conferences,” said Sherman.
Following his days as an official for the NCAA tournament, Sherman worked alongside the Youngstown Steelhounds. At the time, the Steelhounds were associated with the Central Hockey League, a semi-pro (Low AA) organization which concluded in 2008.
The Steelhounds, who took their name from the steel industry, were located in Youngstown and played their contests at the Covelli Centre. A team who was partnered with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL and the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. Now, the Youngstown Phantoms have taken over the reins of hockey in Youngstown.
“As the years passed and 10,000 hours later, my seasons were getting longer as I would work deeper into the playoffs. This got the attention of the East Coast Hockey League (AA), where I worked for 10 years and ultimately the American Hockey League (AAA). I finally reached my goal of working downtown,” said Sherman.
Sherman’s goal of officiating a professional contest is something that he dreams about, but sees the task that is before him.
“My ultimate goal from the start was to work professional hockey downtown,” said Sherman. “Of course, I wouldn't mind a shot at the NHL and to do this full time, but those are dreams and this was an obtainable goal. To obtain this I had to learn to get better at each level.”
To some, the hype of professional sports is dwindling away as the collegiate athletes make a rise to fame. This could be true too for Sherman as he received an offer to officiate in the NCAA Tournament in 2017. Sherman would go on to officiate the 2017 Regional Semi Final in Cincinnati, OH with Penn State vs. Colgate.
Since that game, Sherman has worked six NCAA Regional Tournament games including the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024 seasons. Amongst the many Regional Tournaments that he has been a part of, Sherman also worked the 2019 Frozen Four located in Buffalo, New York.
Many members of the Cardinal family saw Sherman on their tv screens at home during the NCAA Regional Semifinal game located in St. Louis, Missouri between the Michigan Wolverines and North Dakota Fighting Hawks back in March. It would be the Wolverines that came away victorious, picking up the 4-3 win to advance to the Regional Finals. Picking up a win over in-state rival, the Michigan State Spartans, 5-2 before advancing to their third straight Frozen Four appearance.
“Hockey has been a passion of mine since I participated in the game as a youth in elementary school,” said Sherman. “If taught correctly, with competent coaches and officials, the game can become a challenge and a test of strength and talent each time you play it. I learned many valuable lessons that followed me into my adulthood. Now, more than ever, our culture has become obsessed with winning. Officiating keeps me involved, and I bring a spirit of teamwork, competition and fun.”
Unfortunately, the call for the Frozen Four was not in Sherman’s cards this season and his college season came to an end in the Regional Semifinals. But, he will continue later this month for the Cleveland Monsters.
“The goal is to get back to the Frozen Four and to reach the NCAA National Championship as a linesman,” said Sherman.
When Sherman isn’t on the ice, he is instructing his students in memorable experiments or on the lake, fishing. Back in 2020, Sherman received his Masters in Sports Management from Cleveland State. It’s no doubt that Sherman has left his mark not only in the classroom, but at the ice as well. He has stories that he can tell his students for days, and will continue to inspire not only his students in the classroom but on the ice, too.