By Cami Kepke via Western Hockey League

Utica, N.Y. - A sellout crowd of more than 4,000 people crammed into Utica’s Adirondack Bank Centre to watch Danielle Serdachny bury the overtime winner to clinch gold for Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Women’s Championship, but few had a better view of the action than referee Cianna Lieffers and linesperson Alex Clarke.

The Western Hockey League officials worked a total of 11 games at the prestigious event.

Clarke, from Drake, Sask., made history in September of 2021 when she became the first woman to work lines in a WHL and broke another barrier on October 22, 2023, when she became the first woman to referee a WHL game.

Cudworth, Sask.’s Lieffers followed suit just two days later when she donned her stripes and orange referee’s armband for a tilt between the Saskatoon Blades and Moose Jaw Warriors.

The officials debuted together at the IIHF World Women’s Championship in 2021 but hadn’t worked a gold-medal game until now.

Adding to their already impressive resumes, Clarke and Lieffers also hit the ice at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, with Clarke on the lines and Lieffers as a referee.

In addition to regular season WHL assignments, both officials are currently working in the American Hockey League (AHL) as referees.

Prior to Worlds, the duo recently reunited for the 2024 U SPORTS women’s championship match in Saskatoon and the 2024 Canada/USA Rivalry Series stops in Saskatoon and Regina.