AHL Peoria Rivermen

Brendan Burke Named New Voice of Peoria Rivermen

Published on October 7, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release


Peoria, Ill. (October 7, 2008) - The Peoria Rivermen, proud AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, have announced that Brendan Burke will take over as radio play-by-play broadcaster and Director of Communications for the upcoming season.

Burke comes to Peoria after being named 2007-08 ECHL Broadcaster of the Year while calling games for the Wheeling Nailers. He spent two years with the Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate and was selected to call the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game in Stockton, CA.

"We are very excited to have Brendan onboard," said Josh Morin, Rivermen COO. "He has a ton of talent and came highly recommended by the GM in Wheeling. I expect him to build terrific relationships with Peoria's media and get us better coverage than we have ever had before."

The 24-year-old assumes the role vacated by Tom Callahan, who has joined the Nashville Predators radio broadcasts. A native of Fair Lawn, NJ, Burke has spent the last two summers broadcasting baseball for the Lakewood BlueClaws, the class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Peoria Rivermen and to be continuing my broadcasting career in the American Hockey League," said Burke. "While I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Wheeling I cannot wait to get started here in Peoria."

Burke graduated from Ithaca College in 2006 where he served as the sports director for the school's two radio stations. He performed play-by-play for IC football, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse while broadcasting women's hockey across town at Cornell University.

Longtime voice, Norm Ulrich, will call the Rivermen regular season opener on Friday and Burke will join the broadcast for the home opener on Saturday as the Rivermen embark on their 27th season of professional hockey in Central Illinois. The team will broadcast all 80 games on the new radio home for Rivermen Hockey, Hippie 101.1 FM, as well as on the internet via www.Rivermen.net.

Saturday is Heritage Bank Magnet Schedule Night; the first 5,000 fans receive a magnet schedule that also acts as a picture frame. One lucky fan will take home a Frigidaire refrigerator to put their magnet schedule on, courtesy of the UFS Downtown Outlet Center.

Prior to the game, all fans are invited to our pre-game "Smoke The Chops!" tailgate just outside the Jefferson Street entrance of Carver Arena. It is presented by Alwan & Sons Meat Company, Anheuser-Busch, Brewers Distributing, Coca-Cola and Centerplate.

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