Coach Burke's Bio

TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton has announced that the contract of head women's hockey coach John Burke has been extended for four years. Burke's agreement runs through the 2013-14 season.

“We are excited to have John with the program for an additional four years,” said Knowlton. “He has done an incredible job developing the program into a first-class, competitive Division I program. Under his purview the program has excelled, and our student-athletes have had a positive, overall experience.”

“I am very pleased to continue my coaching career at RPI after completing 15 years of service,” said Burke. “We have made great progress over the past five years as a Division I program. I am excited to continue to recruit top student-athletes and grow the program to reach our goal of bringing a National Championship to RPI. I would like to thank Dr. Jackson, Dr. Knowles, and Jim Knowlton for their on-going leadership and support which has been key to the success of our program.”

Among the highlights of Burke's career has been guiding the team into the Division I era. A 2009-10 finalist for ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year honors, he is the program's all-time winningest coach with an overall record of 118-83-21 in seven years at the helm. The team has made five post-season appearances under his guidance, including three at the Division I level.

Burke has led Rensselaer to unprecedented Division I success in each of the last two years, guiding the program to back-to-back appearances in the ECAC Hockey Playoffs. The Engineers went 16-15-6 overall and 11-7-4 in conference play in 2009-10, finishing fifth in the standings. RPI won its quarterfinal series against Quinnipiac, 2 games to 1, which included a dramatic five-overtime victory in game three that is now the second longest game in NCAA Hockey history.

Seniors Laura Gersten (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) and Whitney Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington Jefferson) were honored at the conclusion of the season with All-League recognition and Gersten was named the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year. Additionally, Gersten and junior netminder Sonja van der Bliek (Toronto, ON/Toronto Jr. Aeros) were nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.

In 2008-09, just their third season as a member of ECAC Hockey, the Engineers finished as the conference's runner-up at the league tournament after defeating Princeton in the quarterfinals and beating Harvard in the semifinals with a 3-2 overtime victory to advance to its first championship appearance. RPI posted an overall record of 19-14-4, including an 11-8-3 ECAC Hockey mark.

A native of Newton, Mass., Burke navigated Rensselaer to a 13-15-5 record, including a 6-12-4 ECAC Hockey mark during the 2007-08 campaign. The Engineers excelled off the ice as well, producing a league-high 20 selections on the ECAC Hockey All-Academic team.

In 2006-07, its inaugural season in ECAC Hockey, Rensselaer finished eighth in the conference with a 12-22-1 record and an 8-13-1 league mark to advance to the ECAC Playoffs. The Engineers rebounded from a tough start to go 11-6-1 over an 18-game span and closed out the year with the 20th-ranked scoring offense in the nation (2.60 goals per game). Individually, two-time captain Sarah Daniel concluded her career with her second consecutive National Academic All-America honor.

As an NCAA Division I independent in 2005-06, the Engineers posted an 18-6-2 record and Burke guided RPI to a 40-11-3 mark at the Division III level from 2003-05. Backed by National All-America selections Julie Aho and Rosina Schiff, the team made consecutive appearances in the ECAC Tournament, finishing as runner-up each season.

In addition to his duties at Rensselaer, Burke works with many of the nation's elite players as a coach at USA Hockey Girls' Select Festivals.

Prior to his post with the women's program, Burke was as an assistant coach with Rensselaer's men's team for eight years, helping to guide the team to a 142-125-20 record from 1995 to 2003.

A 1991 graduate of Bowling Green University in Ohio, Burke was a member of the 1988 Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Championship team and helped the Falcons qualify for three consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Burke and his wife, Mary, reside in Albany.