( CNN ) -- If you ever feel overwhelmed at work , imagine breaking up fights and taking a puck to the face while trying to earn a not-so-great salary . Alex Stagnone 's face once needed eight stitches while on the job , but he quickly returned to the ice , ready for another 20 minutes of relentless action . `` That 's hockey , '' is a common response from any player when suffering sport-related injuries . But Stagnone , 23 , is a linesman with the ECHL , the NHL 's double-A league . `` Ninety-five percent of hockey players would n't take our job , '' said hockey official Graham Skilliter , referring to the lower pay , heavy travel schedule , verbal abuse and stiff competition for a coveted officiating position in the NHL . Skilliter is an ECHL referee or `` the boss on the ice . '' They make all final decisions on calls , penalties and disputed goals . Linesmen follow the action , break up fights , call minor penalties and drop the puck . Officials face a crowd of hockey fans who will never be satisfied with every call -- and fans are n't shy about voicing it . `` You get booed a lot , but you learn to like it . You get so used to it , it kind of becomes comical , '' Stagnone said , adding he tries not to take it personally . After growing up playing hockey , Stagnone attended one of USA Hockey 's weeklong summer camps taught by seasoned supervisors . He then worked his way up through the tiered levels of hockey . Joe Ernst , director of Officiating for the ECHL , hires skilled skaters with good judgment who are hungry for a spot in the NHL and are physically and mentally tough . While the hockey players get regular line changes , officials only get a real break every 30 minutes . `` Our general rule of thumb is to be in as good of shape as the players , if not better , '' Skilliter said . `` The players will be out for 45 seconds and go red line as hard as they can . For us , it 's more of a marathon . '' During the playoffs under way now , the officials face more pressure than normal because their calls could land an important player in the penalty box or disallow a goal . So each call could have an affect on who wins the league title . Both referees and linesmen need thick skin to deal with angry coaches and players over disputed calls . `` You have to stay professional no matter how unprofessionally someone may treat you . It 's keeping your cool when most people would lose it , '' Stagnone said . Officials also have to anticipate plays before they happen . It 's called `` hockey sense , '' and it ca n't be taught , Skilliter said . Successful officials tune into their hockey sense by blocking out personal off-ice issues at all times , he said . Once a full-time fireman , Skilliter , a 26-year-old Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , native , now regularly travels from East Coast to West Coast . `` When we have days off , we call them 'GTL ' or gym/tan/laundry days , '' Skilliter said . `` At our level , if we do n't work , we do n't get paid , so we try and stay as healthy as possible . '' Since becoming a full-time official this season , Stagnone has worked 94 games between the ECHL and the slightly more skilled American Hockey League . Working developmental leagues required him to live in Omaha , Nebraska , for the last two years . This season , Stagnone relocated to Greenville , South Carolina , to work as one of 69 linesmen for the ECHL 's southeastern teams . The men are competing against others in the field for a narrow chance in the NHL while making little pay ; officiating in the lower leagues may seem like it has little to recommend itself as a career . Skilliter recommends having a solid back-up career in place , because leagues can only hire a few guys at a time . If you ca n't imagine not wearing the stripes , ask about officiating at your local hockey rink . `` You can have a career where you work 9 to 5 , but it 's not near as exciting as this , '' Skilliter said . `` There are no guarantees . You have to put your life on hold and you never get to go home . You have to be a little nuts . '' The pressure of making quick judgments on disputed goals or penalties is part of officiating life , but never so much as right now during the playoffs . `` In the playoffs , when the crowd gets going and there have been some big hits and things are going crazy , you do n't know what to expect next , '' Stagnone said . `` That 's when you just kind of think to yourself , 'Wow , this is a pretty good job . ' ''
Getting hit by pucks and breaking up fights is just one challenge for hockey officials . Developmental leagues hire skilled skaters with good judgment , hungry for the NHL . While the hockey players get regular line changes , officials get a break every 30 minutes . `` Hockey sense , '' anticipating plays before they happen , is a must for officials .