UK referee Liam Sewell has recently returned from officiating at the prestigious second-tier IIHF junior World Championship tournament.

Sewell officiates in the AHL in North America – one level below the NHL – and was referee for the Under-20 World Championship Division I Group A in Fussen, Germany.

He took charge of four games, including the gold-medal game which saw Germany beat Belarus 5-1 to reach the 2020 World juniors.

Sewell said: “As always, it was a great experience and I am always proud to attend these tournaments.

“It means a lot to me to be able to officiate World Championship hockey and there was some really fantastic hockey on show.

“It was a privilege to be in Fussen and to work with such a great bunch of officials from across the world.”

Ice Hockey UK referee-in-chief, Joy Johnston, said: “Liam is very highly thought of across the hockey world and it is great for him to officiate at this level of tournament.

“It is going to be an exciting year for our UK officials with so many of them having IIHF assignments in the coming months.

“It is great to see the praise and respect our officials get from across the world when they officiate at these prestigious tournaments.”