Rule 6, Section 15, Paragraph d of the 1992 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey
Rules and Interpretations says, in part:
 
     When a player scores a goal, an assist shall be credited to the
     player or players taking part in the play preceding the goal,
     even though the play may originate in the defensive zone; but
     not more than two assists can be given on any goal.
 
Officially, the referee is solely responsible for awarding goals
and assists. Practically, the last thing any referee wants to do
is keep track of who passes the puck to whom, so every referee I've
ever worked with in the ECAC (I'm the official scorer for Cornell)
is more than willing to accept help from the official scorer. Also,
an administrative ruling in the ECAC this year allows sports information
directors to recommend changes in scoring.