A former Weyburn Gold Wing is lacing up her skates in a different locker room.

Alex Blair, who played with the local Midget AAA girls' team from the 2008-09 to 2010-11 season, has been following her passion to referee.

The self-proclaimed tomboy from Drake, Sask., started hockey around the age of six because she wanted to do what the boys were doing.

“I’d (ask my parents), ‘Can, I go to shinny? Can I go skating?’" she laughed.

"All my guy friends played hockey so I wanted to play hockey and I guess that’s kind of how I started.”

Growing up, there were not many opportunities for female hockey near her hometown; She has played in Humboldt, Saskatoon and in 2008 became a Weyburn Gold Wing.

Blair eventually went on to play Division III hockey with the College of St. Scholastica Saints in Duluth, Mn., on an academic scholarship.

"For me, it feels kind of like hockey defines me almost because it's been such a part of my life and my life revolved around hockey for so long," she said.

With her athletic build, Blair is made for sports. She admited her natural talent was for track but she always wanted to excel at hockey. Blair found a passion for officiating when she started as a young teenager.

After college, the 24-year-old was at a pinacle moment in her life - does she persue a career or professional hockey?

"It's like your life just revolves around it once it becomes such a big part of it," she said. "That's kind of when I started reffing and now that is my hockey."

She also looks at the game with a different lense and, "With a lot more respect."

"(Hockey) played such a big part of my life that it's like you kind of have to almost rediscover yourself and reffing kind of helps me do that," she said.

"I appreciate what it gives to me a lot more than when I was a player, I just played because I loved playing."

Blair believes she is lucky because doors have opened at the right time.

In the 2016-17 season, Blair officiated in nine leagues in the province including the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey Leauge (SJHL), Junior B division, Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women's league, male AAA, female AAA and minor hockey.

She has also hit a milestone of around 110 games in the past season and was selected as a referee (instead of linsmen) for the 2017 Esso Cup in Morden, MB.

The driving factor behind all this success is competitiveness.

"It was one of those things where it was kind of like I want to be as good as the boys or I want to be as good as the next person," she admitted.

Although she may have a ponytail sticking out of her helmet, Blair doesn't feel the pressue being a female.

"I feel that you sit on the same line as the men," she said, adding once you prove yourself as an athlete you don't get treated any different.

Blair still views the game as a player, which has helped her excel as an official.

"You put your player glasses on, you put your ref glasses on, you put your fan glasses on."