Nate Berke was, in his own words, mad.
He’d finished his junior season of Fed hockey at St. Joe’s with just two goals and five assists in 16 league games, and he didn’t get as much playing time as he would have liked.
Berke knew he had one more year to show what he could do, and he spent his off-season working hard and preparing himself for senior year. His hard work was rewarded, both by his coaches and on the stat sheet.
“Junior year, I didn’t play much, and it got me mad so I just worked really hard for senior year,” Berke explained. “Then I started first line on that team, and I just started rolling. Coach realized it, that I could actually play, and he played me way more.”
Berke doubled his goals in 16 league games his senior year, and he tripled his assists, finishing the regular season with four goals and 15 assists. Now, he’s looking ahead to junior hockey, as he’ll be one of four additions to the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL.
Hockey has always been a part of Berke’s life, since before he can even remember.
“When I was like 14 months, my dad gave me a hockey stick and we would go in the driveway and shoot around,” Berke said. “When I was 2, he brought me on the ice for the first time, and then when I was 4, I started playing on an actual team.”
When Berke started playing travel hockey, Adam Batz was one of his first teammates, and the two remained friends and teammates through their final season, finishing it off with an 18u Clarence Mustangs state championship and national championship appearance.
He spent much of his travel career playing with current Jr. Sabre Colton McKenna as well, and Berke is excited for a reunion.
“My greatest memories are definitely playing with my closest friends,” Berke said. “Adam Batz, for example, I played every travel year with him 12 years straight. Colton, I’ve played so many travel seasons with him, and then just going back to playing on this team with him is gonna be so much fun.”
It was partly because of McKenna that Berke was attracted to the Jr. Sabres. Berke would stay after his Fed games at the HarborCenter and watch the Jr. Sabres when he had the chance.
“I watched a few games and thought, ‘I think I could make this team,’ and I wanted to try out,” Berke said. “[McKenna] just gave me so much information on it, and it sounded like a lot of fun and that it’s good hockey, and I know he will go somewhere higher off that team, and that’s what I’m trying to do. And I’m just trying to get better, and I know that team will make me better.”
Berke attended Mark Zarbo’s Buffalo Junior-College Showcase in May and then the Jr. Sabres mini camp the following weekend. He stood out at the Zarbo Showcase but wasn’t satisfied with his performance for the Jr. Sabres, and he was surprised when he was invited to the main camp in July.
“At the Zarbo camp, I did very well there, so I was like, ‘I wanna go try out for the Jr. Sabres,'” Berke explained. “I went to the camp. I didn’t do that good; I was kinda nervous, thinking I wouldn’t get called back. Then they called me back, and in the main camp, I played very well. I scored a few goals, got a few assists, and my team won every game, so it was fun.”
The team had four spots to fill. Berke made the all-star team at the main camp, and then he was told that the team had narrowed it down to six players, and he was still in the mix.
On July 18, Berke was informed that he’d made the team. He’s looking forward to improving as a player and hopefully continuing on to play hockey after his time there is done.
“I expect to play a lot, just get better, hopefully go somewhere for college for hockey,” Berke said. “Hopefully D1 — that’s my goal.”
Berke knows he has the St. Joe’s coaching staff — Rich Crozier, Mike Murphy, Sean Elliott, Don Held, and Justin Crawford — to thank for his development as a hockey player and some of the best hockey memories he’s had, along with his travel coach, Tyler Crawford.
“I want to say thank you to Coach Crozier, Coach Murphy, Coach Elliott, Coach Donny, Coach Crawford,” Berke said. “This year came around, I pushed myself, they saw it, and they gave me a chance. I did good, and they just kept pushing me and pushing me to be better, and I thank them for that.”
Berke (right) with St. Joe’s teammates Jack Lalley (left) and David Matthew (center) after a 2017 playoff win
Berke won’t soon forget winning two state championships with St. Joe’s, especially finishing off his senior year with a state championship at HarborCenter. He was also named to the All-Fed First Team for large schools and the Bowman Cup Senior All-Star Team.
“The playoff games with the huge crowd here [at HarborCenter],” Berke said. “The state championship game being here, the crowd being so big. All that, I just thought that was awesome.”
And while Berke isn’t going far physically, with HarborCenter being the Jr. Sabres’ home rink, his career, he hopes, will go much further. He’s learned the value of hard work, and he’s already reaping the rewards.