R
yan Berke’s dream was
to play hockey in an
NCAA program.
After four years of play-
ing junior hockey with stops
in Georgia, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, that dream
didn’t come true. But there
was a silver lining in the dis-
appointment.
And a national champion-
ship.
Berke played this season for
the Indiana University club
hockey team. For the first
time in the storied program’s
55-year history, the Hoosiers
won a national championship.
For Berke, the national
championship was the icing on
the cake in a season where his
love for hockey was rekindled.
“Sometimes, you don’t real-
ize what’s right for you,” he
said. “I love where I ended up.
Playing junior hockey felt like
a job. There was a lot of pres-
sure. Maybe that would have
been the same playing in an
NCAA program.
“Club hockey has the right
balance of seriousness and the
fun of playing the sport you
love. Also, my team at Indiana
is a family. The best hockey
family I’ve ever been a part of.”
Hockey has been a huge
part of Berke’s life.
In addition to playing
junior hockey, his journey has
included playing for Detroit in
the JCC Maccabi Games from
2016-18 and being a member
of the gold medal-winning
U.S. open division (ages
19-40) team at the Maccabiah
Games in Israel in 2022.
The 21-year-old freshman
left wing from Farmington
Hills had 10 goals and 10
assists in 29 games this sea-
son for Indiana. He also was
a member of the team’s top
defensive line, which was
assigned to cover opponents’
most dangerous line.
“Playing good defense has
always been a part of my
game,” Berke said. “[Indiana
coach] Andrew Weiss is the
first coach who has seen the
value of it and put it to good
use.”
Indiana beat Miami (Ohio)
5-4 in overtime on March 15
in the American Collegiate
Hockey Association Division 2
national championship game.
Just before the Hoosiers
scored the winning goal on a
power play at 10:35 of over-
time, Berke helped kill off a
Miami power play.
So what was Indiana’s path
to the national championship?
Sixteen teams enter the
ACHA Division 2 national
tournament, which is a grind.
Ryan Berke had 10 goals and 10 assists in 29 games this season for
the national champion Indiana University club hockey team.
CHIP DELORENZO
Ryan Berke helps the Indiana
University club hockey team win a
national championship and gets his
career back on track.
‘I Love Where
I Ended Up’
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SPORTS
62 | MARCH 28 • 2024
J
N
That’s the Radakovich
Cup that Ryan Burke is
carrying after the Indiana
University club hockey
team won the ACHA
Division 2 national
championship earlier
this month.
CHIP DELORENZO