The danger that comes from criticizing officials is that many people can't wrap their head around the idea that you can criticize referees without saying that they cost one or the other team the game.
My criticism generally lands in two areas: 1) Failing to call contact to the head (which AHA's memo last week about Mercyhurst/Robert Morris pointed out); 2) Failing to call the penalties that the NCAA has asked to be enforced to allow a free flow to the game: holding, hooking, interference. The offshoot of not calling penalties is a game in which the players begin to take things into their own hands.
The rules committee has points of emphasis and rule interpretations that are very clear and they publish a video each year showing what should and should not be called. Yet we're still seeing some games in which sticks are held, guys are bear hugged along the boards, and hooking and interference are ignored. That turns what is supposed to be a fast and free-flowing game into mud.
