Bio

Rob Burke was named the head women’s hockey coach at Paul Smith’s College in mid-September of 2024. Prior to that, he was the ACHA D3 head men’s hockey coach at Marian University in Fond du Lac, WI, taking over a team that was 0-10-0, and going 6-5-0 the rest of the way.  He completed his 17th season as a college hockey coach, and his 14th season as a women’s college hockey coach during the 2024-25 campaign.  This year’s Bobcats women’s hockey team went 11-5-0, scoring 80 goals for versus only 50 goals against in 15 games played (one game was a forfeit win), finishing in 3rd place in the very competitive AAU Women’s College Hockey North division. In only two years of existence, the AAU Women’s College Hockey national champion teams have both come from the AAU North; undefeated Syracuse University this season, and of course, the Paul Smith’s College Bobcats in 2023-24.

Burke brings to PSC a wealth of hockey knowledge and a diverse amount of experience coaching at many levels of hockey.  He served as a hockey instructor for two years at High Performance Hockey Development in Buffalo, NY, and before that, he was the head women’s hockey coach at NCAA D-III Buffalo State College from 2006-2013.  During his time there he helped lead the Bengals to the ECAC West Playoffs in his second and fourth seasons after Buffalo State had missed postseason action the previous five years.  He would also help lead Buffalo State to its first and still only victory in program history over perennial powerhouse Elmira College during the 2010-11 season.  Burke would coach five different student-athletes to all-conference recognition and had one student-athlete earn the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.

Prior to Buffalo State, Burke spent three seasons at NCAA D-I Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, serving as an assistant coach under Melody Davidson, who coached Team Canada at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, and then for current head coach, Doug Derraugh, in his first year as the Big Red’s head coach.  Burke’s final recruiting class at Cornell would go on to reach the National Championship game during their senior season.

He was the inaugural varsity head coach for the NCAA D-III women’s hockey program at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN.  During his time with the Pipers, he would coach an All-American runner-up, one MIAC All-Conference honoree, one MIAC All-Rookie honoree, and two All-MIAC Honorable Mention student-athletes.  He was also the co-founder and inaugural head coach of the ACHA hockey program at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.
 
Burke competed collegiately and earned a bachelor of arts degree at NCAA D-III SUNY Fredonia under current head coach, Jeff Meredith.  Following graduation, he began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach with the Richmond Renegades of the ECHL.  He served under head coach Roy Sommer, who coached in the AHL for 25 years and holds the record for victories in the AHL at 828.