5 minute read
From the JCC Maccabi Games to the Maccabiah Games
sports HIGHlights
JESS COLLUM LINDSAY BERKE
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From the JCC Maccabi Games to the Maccabiah Games
Junior hockey star Ryan Berke of Farmington Hills earns a spot on Team USA.
STEVE STEIN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ABOVE LEFT: Ryan Berke
is in the middle between his Jersey Hitmen linemates Nolan Patrick (left) and Jack Noel.
ABOVE RIGHT: Mark
Berke (left) was his son Ryan Berke’s hockey coach for many years.
Ryan Berke helped make history in 2016.
He was a member of the Detroit team that played in the first ice hockey competition at the JCC Maccabi Games.
Fast forward six years. Berke is 19, in his third year playing junior hockey. And loving it.
“Playing junior hockey has been great for me not only for my hockey career, but also for my personal growth,” he said.
The North Farmington High School graduate is a center for the Jersey Hitmen Tier III team in the USPHL’s Premier Division. He had 24 points — eight goals and 16 assists — in 24 games this season before the holiday break.
His coach, Dominick Manochio, raves about him.
“If you have 20 Ryan Berkes on your team, you’re in good shape,” Manochio said. “He always wants to be the best version of himself. He always does things the right way.”
Berke was the best version of himself when he tried out last summer in Philadelphia for Team USA’s open division (ages 19-40) hockey team that will compete in July in the Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Skating against college players and even a professional player, Berke was named an alternate to the team in October, then in November he learned he made the team.
The Farmington Hills resident’s first trip to Israel will be a hockey trip. That’s not a surprise.
“Hockey is all I do, but there’s nothing I enjoy more than hockey,” he said. “I love the speed of the game. I love playing a team sport.”
Berke is looking forward to his journey to Israel. One of his best memories of the Maccabi Games, he said, was meeting Jewish hockey players from the U.S. and other countries.
He played in the Maccabi Games in Stamford, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; and Orange County,
sports HIGHlights
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California from 2016-18, helping Detroit win a bronze medal in Miami.
Berke’s hockey career began not too many years after he was born.
After playing for several years in the Novi Youth Hockey Association, then in the Compuware and Victory Honda travel programs, he began his junior hockey days with a two-season stay with the Atlanta Capitals in the NA3HL, scoring 13 goals and dishing out 16 assists during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
A coaching change in Atlanta had Berke looking for greener pastures, so the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder tried out for the Tier II Hitmen team in the NCDC (National Collegiate Development Conference).
He didn’t make the team. His USPHL Premier Division rights belonged to the Bridgewater (Massachusetts) Bandits, but the Hitmen made a trade for him, which is what Berke wanted.
Berke has been practicing with the Tier II Hitmen team, which is loaded with Division I college players.
If all goes well, he’ll play for the Tier II Hitmen team next season in his final year of junior hockey eligibility, which would be a huge step toward realizing his dream of being a Division I college hockey player.
“Ryan is definitely a Tier II prospect,” Manochio said. “I’d be shocked if he didn’t make our Tier II team next season. Our Tier III team mirrors what our Tier II team does, so Ryan already has that knowledge.”
Berke began this season playing on a line with wingers Jack Noel and Teppei Ueno, who temporarily left the Hitmen to join Team Japan for the World Junior Championship, which began Dec. 26 in Estonia.
Nolan Patrick was signed by the Hitmen and joined the line with Berke and Noel. The trio has been practically unstoppable since Patrick climbed on board.
“Those three guys clicked immediately. Flawlessly,” Manochio said. “Each guy has energy, smiles a lot, loves being at the rink and is into the new-age creativity of hockey players. They’re also close off the ice.”
Berke agrees.
“Our line has amazing chemistry,” he said.
The Hitmen were 11-13-2 before the holiday break. But they got off to a slow start with just 14 players on the roster and Manochio being named coach just before the start of the season.
With 27 players on the roster now and lots of talented players, the Hitmen are looking for a strong finish to the regular season and a long playoff run.
“We expect to get 12, 13, 14 wins in our last 18 regular-season games,” Manochio said.
Berke’s parents are Mark and Alisa Berke. Mark Berke was Ryan’s coach for many years on youth hockey teams.
Ryan’s sister Linsday, 17, is an outstanding tennis player at North Farmington.
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stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
Hillel International Honors MSU’s Robyn Hughey
Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, recognized outstanding Hillel professionals and campus Hillels who are leading the way in creating innovative programming and strengthening campus communities during this challenging time. Among those Hillel recognized this year was Robyn Hughey, associate director of MSU Hillel and the Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan (HCAM).
Hillel International named Robyn Hughey a Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence, which honors professionals in various stages of their careers whose remarkable passion and outstanding devotion to the Jewish campus community enrich the lives of Hillel students, ensures that the organization reflects a culture of excellence and sets a standard for all Hillel professionals to emulate. Hughey was one of eight professionals to receive this award.
“Robyn Hughey represents Hillel at its best: uplifting and inspiring students, and building a thriving Jewish student community,” said Hillel International President and CEO Adam Lehman. “Hillel’s mission is more important now than ever, which is why we’re elated to honor leaders, like Robyn, who go above and beyond in bettering the lives of Jewish students and their campus communities.”
The awardees, chosen because of how they symbolize Hillel’s culture of excellence, were honored before a virtual audience of over 1,000 Hillel professionals from around the world as part of Hillel International’s Global Assembly, an annual event that brings leaders together for professional development and networking. “On behalf of MSU Hillel, the Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan, and thousands of Jewish students statewide, I am very proud of Robyn’s success and recognition with this award. She works tirelessly to support Jewish life on campus and greatly impacts the work we do every day,” said MSU Hillel and HCAM Executive Director Cindy Hughey.
