JANUARY 6 • 2022 | 31

R

yan Berke helped make 
history in 2016.
He was a member of 
the Detroit team that played 
in the first ice hockey com-
petition 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 sea-

son 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 profession-
al player, Berke was named 
an alternate to the team in 
October, then in November he 

learned he made the team.
The Farmington Hills res-
ident’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 coun-
tries.
He played in the Maccabi 
Games in Stamford, 
Connecticut; Miami, 
Florida; and Orange County, 

JESS COLLUM

Junior hockey 
star Ryan Berke of 
Farmington Hills 
earns a spot on 
Team USA.

STEVE STEIN 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

From the JCC Maccabi Games 
to the Maccabiah Games

ABOVE LEFT: Ryan Berke 
is in the middle between 
his Jersey Hitmen line-
mates Nolan Patrick (left) 
and Jack Noel. 

ABOVE RIGHT: Mark 
Berke (left) was his son 
Ryan Berke’s hockey 
coach for many years.

sports HIGHlights

LINDSAY BERKE

continued on page 32

