Off-duty Duluth firefighter saves ref

The biggest save of the game occurred between periods, when the Marshall Hilltoppers met the Crookston Pirates at Mars Lakeview Arena Saturday.

Brad Bushey, an off-duty Duluth firefighter, is credited with the save.

“An official basically went down as he was coming off the ice,” said Brendan Flaherty, Marshall’s coach.

Referee Pat Milinovich collapsed between the second and third periods, and Flaherty said he was impressed by the response.

Bushey and others dashed from the stands to lend a hand.

“He was clearly in trouble. He looked blue, and he wasn’t breathing,” said Bushey, who immediately began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

After about 50 compressions, Bushey said he was able to re-establish a heartbeat, and the referee began breathing on his own.

Milinovich was transported by ambulance to St. Luke’s Hospital. His condition was not released by hospital staff Sunday, but Flaherty said he’d heard Milinovich was recuperating, following the installation of a stent.

Marshall beat Crookston 3-1. Bushey said he was at the game to watch his nephew, Jake Bushey, who skates for the Hilltoppers.

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