The CCHA announced Thursday that Marco Hunt has been named the conference’s new director of officiating.
Hunt will officially take over on June 1, replacing Kevin Langseth, who is stepping down from the position at the end of May.
“Marco was an outstanding referee who officiated in numerous WCHA Final Fives, NCAA regionals and Frozen Fours,” said CCHA commissioner Don Lucia in a statement. “He understands what is required to be an elite official and will be able to teach and share that knowledge with our current and future officials. I look forward to Marco joining our CCHA staff and assisting him as we prepare for the upcoming season.”
Hunt joins the CCHA after spending the last seven years as the primary assistant to the supervisor of officials with the Big Ten where he assisted in the scheduling for regular-season and postseason games, as well as contributed to the league’s supplementary discipline decisions. In addition, he conducted on-site reviews of game officials, video reviews of significant plays and weekly communication with coaches and officials to aid in improvement and development.
From 1997 to 2017, Hunt was an on-ice official for the WCHA and Big Ten conferences, participating in WCHA Final Five, Big Ten tournament and NCAA tournament games for the final 11 years of his on-ice career. Throughout his career, he officiated in seven Frozen Fours, including 2002, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
“I am thrilled and excited to begin this new venture in my officiating life,” said Hunt. “The future of the CCHA is very bright, and I am honored to be a part of it and to have a chance to grow with it. My goal to assist the conference in taking an already talented group and help mold it into one of the best officiating staffs in the county.”
Hunt officiated Division III hockey games from 1994 to 2008, including national championship contests in 2006 and 2008. The St. Paul Hockey Officials Association president in 2001, he oversaw more than 200 referees and linesmen, managed schedules and section assignments, as well as recruited and trained new officials.
A native of Woodbury, Minn., Hunt is a 1988 graduate of Bemidji State, where he played four seasons for the Beavers and won a Division III national championship in 1986. He earned his MBA from BSU in 1990.
