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

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