Melissa Doyle has skated all over the “State of Hockey”, and she now has the opportunity to glide into international waters.
Doyle is one of two Minnesota women officiating hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Doyle left for training camp on Dec. 4, with the official tournament lasting from Feb. 5-19, 2026.
“I think all little girls and boys have dreams of going to the Olympics. I really wanted to be an Olympic athlete, and I wasn’t big enough. I’m only 5 feet tall, and I wasn’t skilled enough to compete with the girls, so I think that dream kind of just naturally fell by the wayside,” Doyle said. “And then when I got back into refereeing, I was like, ‘Wait a second, I could still pursue this dream — and it’s doable.’”
The White Bear Lake native started on the ice as a figure skater and began playing hockey in third grade. She, alongside her brother, Ryan, and father, Greg, started officiating when she was 12 years old. Officiating began as a family activity that soon allowed Doyle to “learn the game in a different lens.”
Doyle officiated until her college years, when she paused refereeing to play Division III hockey at Gustavus Adolphus College for four seasons. She won three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, three MIAC Playoff Championships and appeared in three NCAA tournaments in her time on the ice.
Doyle balanced a double major in biology and nursing with her hockey career, as well as other extracurricular activities. As a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a club lacrosse player and Habitat for Humanity volunteer, Doyle’s packed schedule as a student taught her the need for balance heading into her post-grad years.
“There are so many opportunities that college offers you that it’s harder, I think, in real life. You just kind of find a way to make it work … You kind of learn a new cadence,” Doyle said.
Doyle is one of 12 referees and 22 total officials in the women’s Olympic hockey tournament. The diverse representation of “phenomenal referees and great people,” according to Doyle, demonstrates a new direction for women’s hockey on a professional level.
“Women’s hockey is really growing a lot … the professional league has really taken off and given female hockey a new identity and a new direction of where things could go,” Doyle said.
Josie Skoogman, a St. Paul native and first-year hockey player at St. Thomas, said that Doyle’s journey highlights the distance women’s professional hockey has traveled and that Doyle is one of many women taking advantage of the new opportunities.
“It shows how hockey can take you so many different directions: coaching, continuing to be a professional athlete or officiating … it’s super cool to see,” Skoogman said.
When she’s not on the ice, Doyle works as a research nurse at Medtronic, a medical technology company. Doyle says working while still officiating at the Olympics comes as a relief, helping fill the lull of tournament life.
“Surprisingly, at some of these tournaments, there can be quite a bit of downtime, and so what do you do all day to keep your mind off of things?” Doyle said. “But it’s those late games where you really have to be mindful of keeping your brain not festering on what could happen, what’s going to happen in the game.”
Doyle calls on her faith as a way to remain centered, and believes that her impact as an official reaches beyond the rink.
“God is using me where I’m at to love these girls … This has become my mission field where I’m able to just be a light,” Doyle said.
While Doyle’s Olympic journey is just beginning, she said her fulfillment comes from the work she has already put forth.
“It’s all going to work out; it’s not up to me, ultimately, right? I’ll do my best, and I need to be comfortable with my best. And whether or not I ended up in the Olympics, truthfully, I was proud of what I accomplished,” Doyle said.
Grace Woelfel can be reached at woel8456@stthomas.edu.
