Hockey referees will put up with a lot. It comes with the job. But step on their territory, like one Boston-area hockey mother did by going on the ice after a line brawl broke out and well, they won't take too kindly to that.

During a recent spring hockey game between teams called the Boston Raptors and Boston Tribes — the players look like they're in the 16-and-under bantam group — multiple fights broke out behind one of the nets. The referees were basically willing to let the fire burn itself out, so to speak. However, faster than you can Google Helen Lovejoy ("won't someone please think of the children?!"), a pink-jacketed mother sprinted on to the ice toward the fighting players. She would have to be wearing a pink jacket. One of the refs had to skate over and steer hear back to the stands. Give the mom credit, jogging in street footwear on ice is tricky and she was moving rather agilely.

Warning: some of the heckling is NSFW.

The details are very fragmented. You can imagine the woman's son will be razzed royally for that. To some extent, one can see someone would go Defcon-5 Momma Bear when she saw her teenage son might be pummelled. This was a youth league game, not junior hockey. The referees apparently decided their game cheque wasn't worth stepping in to break up the fights until the combatants got tired, but Mom was not having it.

Two things come to mind after watching the video: first, the refs appeared about as disinterested in pulling combatants off each other and putting a kibosh on the brawl as a pair of referees could be. And secondly, I feel so, so bad for the son of Irate Invading Ice Momma. You don't think he's going to catch any crap from his fellow hockey players for that ultimate, embarrassing act of parental interference, do you? (Sportress of Blogitude)

The way one of the referees springs into action after espying the ice invader is also great. Of course, he had to do that because if she had fallen and struck her head on the ice, there would have been a major liability issue. But teenage boys' helmeted heads are fair game.

These guys are probably making less than $10 an hour and aren't risking a black eye or bloody nose to break up a gloves-and-helmet-on youth hockey fight. Just chilling on the boards blowing the whistle, watching these kids pound away. But as soon as the crazed mother steps on the ice the ref absolutely berates her. This is the absolute best 0-60, calm to crazy reaction I have ever seen. (The Awesome Boston)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.