PITTSBURGH — It isn’t an official designation, but the Shepherds may have become the first family of Frozen Four officiating.
Brad Shepherd was one of the referees for Thursday’s national semifinal game between Yale and Massachusetts-Lowell, making him the third member of his family to wear the orange stripes for a Frozen Four game.
Derek Shepherd, Brad’s brother, has refereed Frozen Four games, including the 2007 title game between Michigan State and Boston College.
And their father, WCHA supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd, said he worked 10 Frozen Fours, starting in 1988.
The CCHA brother duo of Matt and Mark Shegos presided over a number of Frozen Four games in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1991, Matt Shegos was the referee for the three-overtime championship game where Northern Michigan beat Boston University, while Mark worked the lines.
Brad Shepherd, meanwhile, also has been the referee in the women’s Frozen Four, refereeing the 2003 title game where Minnesota-Duluth beat Harvard in double overtime.
