The parents and referees were ordered to mediation after a municipal court judge lamented the circumstances of the charges.
HOWELL -- The parents and referees involved in a post-high school ice hockey game brawl are headed for their first mediation session later this month.
The parents and officiators received a notice from Howell Municipal Court informing them they are to report for mediation on April 18, according to a copy of the notice obtained by NJ Advance Media.
On March 9, Howell Municipal Court Judge Susan Schroeder-Clark sent the matter to mediation after the parents - Robert Dovenero and Anthony Gallicchio - and the referees - David Brown and Salvatore Bianco - filed charges against each other in the Feb. 7 post-ice hockey game melee in the referees' changing room.
Hockey refs, parents head to mediation over post-high school match brawl
Based on accounts from both sides, the incident started when the mother of one of the Howell high school players banged on the glass during the game at Ice World in Howell and Brown ejected the mother and a couple of players. After the matchup between Howell and Manalapan High School, the woman's husband went back to the referees' changing room and confronted the referees.
Bianco has claimed that in demanding to know which referee used obscenities toward his wife, Gallicchio burst into the changing room and began punching Brown. Shortly after that, Dovenero came into the room and grabbed both referees by the throat, Bianco has said.
Citing the lack of evidence for them to take action, Howell police found no basis on which to file their own charges against any of the men and let them handle the matter as civilian complaints in municipal court.
Brown's attorney, Richard Lomurro, contends police should have filed charges because he claims some people at the ice hockey rink witnessed at least part of the alleged assault in the changing room.
In ordering the matter to mediation, Schroeder-Clark called the case "very troubling."
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.