The award is presented to the person "who has given outstanding contribution, support, and dedication to women's ice hockey."
On January 12 the AHCA presented its list of major award winners for 2022.
Included in this year's slate of honorees was Lawrence Academy's Director of Athletic Operations, Caroline "Heater" Heatley.
The official press release explained:
THE JOE BURKE AWARD: Presented annually to the person who has given outstanding contribution, support, and dedication to women's ice hockey." It is named in honor of a girls' and women's hockey "superfan," Joe Burke.
2022 Recipient: Caroline Heatley
Caroline Heatley’s hockey career started in Fairfield County where she played youth hockey for the Greater Bridgeport Junior Hockey Association. She spent her high school years at Proctor Academy and led her to team a Lake Region Championship in 1989. Heatley matriculated to Northeastern University where she had an illustrious hockey career, serving at the team’s captain her senior year. She earned a BA in communications from Northeastern in 1995 and an MA in sports management from the university in 2010.
Caroline’s connection to hockey is noteworthy, spanning several decades, levels, and programs. Following her graduation from Northeastern in 1995, She returned to Proctor for two years, where she launched her career in independent school athletics and served as the assistant athletic director and head coach of the girls’ ice hockey team. Caroline’s career carried her to Lawrence Academy in 1997 where her teams would go on to capture two ISL Championships and make five New England tournament appearances. In 2003, Caroline joined the Dexter Southfield Schools in Brookline, MA in the same role where she was instrumental in launching the new upper school interscholastic and girls’ hockey programs. In addition to Caroline’s experience at the high school level, she has also made an impact at the collegiate level, during her stints behind the bench as an assistant coach at Hockey East rivals Northeastern University and Boston College.
A revered leader in the sport of hockey, Caroline was elected to serve as the president of the New England Prep School Girls’ Hockey Association in 2001, a role she held for nine years. Over the last twenty years, Caroline has had extensive experience with USA Hockey. From her involvement as coach, evaluator, and director at the Girls Player Development Camps to her role as director of operations for the Women’s National and Olympic Teams, Caroline has had a significant impact on the U.S. women’s ice hockey program. Currently, Caroline serves as the director of athletic operations at Lawrence Academy and splits her time between Groton, MA and Hancock, NH.
Heatley and her fellow honorees will be recognized during the 2022 AHCA Convention held in Naples, Florida, April 20-23, 2022.