Mark Riley
Mark Riley was born and raised in Boston and is one of the most-booked comedians in New England. He started playing hockey at the age of 4 and continued to play through college at Curry. His playing career ended due to a back injury in his senior year. Not long after graduation his refereeing career began. At the urging on from his brother Steven, who had reffed for years, he gave refereeing a try. He loved how it kept him connected hockey and decided to turn it into a career.
Mark attended a USA Hockey Regional development camp in Lake Placid. The next season, he officiated high school and youth hockey before attending the USA Hockey National Development Camp, where he was hired to work full-time in the USHL and part-time in the minor pro Central Hockey League. After a successful season, highlighted by officiating the USHL finals, Mark was accepted into the USA Hockey Select Camp, which included only twelve participants. Here, Mark met Andy van Hellemond, a long-time NHL referee and the Director of Officials for the East Coast Hockey League. Mark was hired to work the ECHL where he was for four years. He made multiple trips out west to work the Western Hockey League and the West Coast Hockey League. Mark was hired by the NHL but then fired a week later. Why you ask? He was born in the wrong country. Mark went on to work division 1 college hockey in the ECAC for 2 years and then took time off to focus on coaching his daughter at Thayer Academy. Mark came back to refereeing and now works college and junior hockey along with supervising for Referee’s Crease.
Mark co-authored the movie script “Penalty Box” based on his life in pro hockey. He is currently publishing his first book and has many
television appearances in commercials and on NESN and Dirty Water TV. And to further impress you, he was a finalist in the 2016 Boston Comedy Festival.
Geno Binda
The South Boston, Mass., native who’s first boooo came at age 11 refereeing South Boston and Charleston after calling a goal back on his home town of South Boston. He has never looked back officiating games in Atlantic Hockey, Hockey East, ECAC and NCHC at the NCAA Division I level as well as USHL, American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL, Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), high school and amateur hockey contests over a 30-year career that began in 1992.
Nationally, Binda officiated three NCAA Frozen Fours (2016, 2018, 2022) and eight NCAA regionals from 2015-22 along with conference tournaments for Atlantic Hockey, the NCHC and Hockey East. He capped his career in 2022 with men’s championship game assignments at the Beanpot, Hockey East and Frozen Four.
At the professional level, Binda refereed playoffs for the AHL, ECHL and SPHL from 2009-18, including ECHL finals assignments in 2009 and 2010 and the AHL conference finals in 2013 and 2014.
Josh Dolan
Josh Dolan is a Boston-born comedian, radio personality, actor, and hockey storyteller. He got his start at WZLX and became a familiar voice on WAAF (2013–2020), with additional stops at WEEI as a Boston Bruins beat reporter, 96.5 The Mill in Manchester, NH, and 100.1 FM The Pike in Worcester. He has hosted Dirty Water TV and appeared as an actor on the Emmy Award-winning series The Folklorist.
A stand-up comic since 2011, Dolan co-created the Breaking The Ice Podcast and currently produces and co-hosts Chirping Zebras, hosts the live-streamed Rollin’ With Dolan, and co-hosts Back In The Game. He also serves as an on-ice host and announcer for Boston Bruins Alumni charity games, blending comedy, hockey culture, and unmistakable Boston energy.