Howell hockey ref: I’ll press charges for locker room attack

The referee of a Howell high school ice hockey match says he is planning to file a complaint against two parents who allegedly attacked him and his colleague after a game early Sunday.

In a phone interview Monday with New Jersey 101.5, Dave Brown said two parents came into the refs' locker room following the Manalapan-Howell match, and he feels like he "went 15 rounds with heavyweight boxer Ronda Rousey."

"We were attacked inside our locker room," Brown said.

Brown said he has obtained a copy of a police report of the incident. New Jersey 101.5 is seeking a copy of the report as well.

Brown said he suffered injuries to his head, neck, shoulder, hand and knees. He and his colleague were treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center following the incident and later released.

The Howell Township Police Department has confirmed to multiple other media outlets that there was a parent-referee dispute at Howell Ice World, but police did not respond to requests for comment from New Jersey 101.5.

The Freehold Regional High School District, of which both schools are a part, referred all questions to the local police department.

According to Brown, the parents entered the locker room separately, each to verbally and physically abuse Brown and his partner.

Brown said he believes they were attacked because a parent had been thrown out during the game, which ended in a 1-1 tie. In his 30 years of calling games, Sunday was the first time he had to remove a female parent from the premises, he said.

That wasn't the only drama, however. The game was also paused for nearly 30 minutes when a Manalapan player suffered a spinal cord injury, Brown said. The athlete was removed from the ice on a stretcher. Senior captain Rob Colligan has since tweeted that he's out of the hospital, resting at home.

Brown said he spoke to police on the scene Sunday, but he's planning to have further conversations with police in the immediate future in hopes of "better results" and "more satisfaction."

Brown and his partner have removed themselves from all scheduled officiating assignments through the end of the week.