NCAA Selects 2023 National Championship Referees and Linesmen

The NCAA Men’s College Hockey Championship is set, with Minnesota facing off against Quinnipiac.

Here are the referees and linesmen working tonight’s championship game at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

Referees: Joe Sullivan, Ryan HerseyLinesmen: John Grandt, Tyler LiffrigOfficiating Crew: NCHC

The NCAA selects championship officials from a conference other than the two represented by the participating teams, ruling out referees and linesmen from the Big Ten (Minnesota) and ECAC (Quinnipiac).

Tonight’s officiating quartet previously worked two games in the Regional Tournament: Quinnipiac’s opening 5-0 win over Merrimack and the Bobcats’ 4-1 victory over Ohio State that moved them on to the Frozen Four.

Referee Joe Sullivan is in his tenth season in the NCHC, with seven trips to the league’s Frozen Faceoff tournament (2014-19, 2021 & 2022).  He’s also officiated NCAA Regional tournament, as well as spent time in the AHL (2010-14); ECHL, with one Kelly Cup Final (2012), four trips to the conference finals, and the 2011 All-Star Game; and the USHL  – where he worked three Clark Cup Finals and two All-Star Games.

Referee Ryan Hersey is officiating his second NCAA National Championship Game (2014).  The Dover, New Hampshire, native is in his tenth year as an NCAA Division I referee, his seventh with the NCHC.  Hersey has presviously worked the league’s Frozen Faceoff in 2019, 2021, and 2022.  He’s currently in his sixth season in as an American Hockey League referee.

Linesman John Grandt spent five seasons in the National Hockey League (2012-2017), working over 200 games. The Colorado native is wrapping up his fifth season with the NCHC, having previously manned the lines for the league’s Frozen Faceoff in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.  Grandt worked NCAA regional tournaments in 2018 and 2019.  He currently works in the American Hockey League.

Linesman Tyler Liffrig is also in his tenth season as an NCHC official. He previously suited up for the 2021 and 2022 Frozen Faceoff.  Liffrig has also worked in the NAHL, USHL, and MJHL.

Congrats also to the officials selected to work the Frozen Four Semi-Finals:

Referees: Cameron Lynch, Chris PitosciaLinesmen: Ryan Knapp, Stephen DrainOfficiating Crew: ECAC

Referees: Jeremy Tufts, Stephen RouillardLinesmen: Bill Kingdom, Kevin BrigantiOfficiating Crew: Hockey East

(stick-tap to John Buccigross (@Buccigross) for the heads up on the assignments)