ST. PAUL, Minn. – Confidence can carry an athlete a long way. For Notre Dame sophomore right wing Cal Burke, it’s helped him solidify his role and increased his ice time on a team that is two wins away from a national championship.
The Boxborough, Mass., native has 13 goals and 12 assists for the Fighting Irish this season after potting just three goals all of last season. He’s tied for the team lead in goals.
“Confidence. Last year I was just trying to get accustomed to college hockey, find my role and earn my ice time. This year I have more of an established spot,” said Burke, who played prep hockey at Noble & Greenough.
Having a year under his belt and staying healthy were also keys to an improved sophomore campaign.
“A year ago at this time he was hurt. Staying healthy is an important part of being successful, too. And he's had a pretty close to injury-free season, which has really allowed him to gain more confidence in his game,” said Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson.
Burke’s skating has always been his biggest asset. His speed allows him to track down pucks, beat defenders wide, and be aggressive on the forecheck. It also allows him to be one of the more reliable two-way forwards for the Irish.
“One of my strengths is I’m a really good skater. I can get up and down the ice really fast. I can backcheck hard, get on pucks fast, and be able to attack the puck. That’s what gets me noticed,” Burke explained.
“Cal's been a key guy for us in every aspect of the game – 5-on-5 and special teams,” Jackson stated. “I think a lot of it has to do with the skating and tenacity. He plays hard and he's hard to play against. And that's a nice combination.”
Still, Burke has had to play heavy despite never being one of the biggest players on the ice. A former captain of his junior team, the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL, he’s a fan favorite for his determination to get to the dirty areas.
“I try to focus on things I do well. Skate fast, be aggressive and take pucks to the net,” said Burke.
“I think that we knew he was a good offensive player. But, it's more about his total game. He plays a 200-foot game, and he gives us a lot of quality minutes on special teams,” said Jackson of his second line right wing who had three game winning goals in less than a month span from Nov. 17 to Dec. 9.
Irish fans will hope Burke has some more of that magic up his sleeve this weekend at the Xcel Energy Center. Notre Dame, the highest remaining seed in the NCAA Tournament, faces Michigan in the second semifinal from the Frozen Four on Thursday. A win propels the team into the final against either Ohio State or Minnesota Duluth. It’s the second consecutive trip to the Frozen Four for a program that has never won a national title.
“I’m super fortunate to be surrounded by such a good team. It would definitely mean a lot of if we could pull it out here at the end to say we accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish,” said Burke, who is one of only two New England players in this year’s Frozen Four.
“Even in Mass., Notre Dame is super popular. The first schools I visited were the New England schools, but when I first started talking to (assistant coach Andy Slaggert), he just made me fall in love with the school. When I visited campus, it’s such a cool place,” explained Burke of how he ended up in South Bend.
