Phone: (415) 225-6733
Coach Burke Malin has participated in both Hockey Canada’s and USA Hockey’s coaching programs.  Burke is his 2nd year as a coach in the San Francisco Mite program and his 4th year assisting in the hockey program overall.  Burke grew up playing hockey in Edmonton, Canada (the land of Gretzky and Messier) and progressed to play Junior B hockey in St.Albert, Alberta.  He has played competitive hockey on an organized team each year for the past 38 years – whether it was men’s league, faculty hockey at the University of Alberta and University of Toronto, or now men’s league in the Bay Area.  Burke’s enjoys spending time with his wife Kathy when not at the rink and with his son Matthew, who plays in the San Francisco hockey program.

Burke has enjoyed being a part of introducing the USA Hockey ADM model to the Mite program in San Francisco with many other committed coaches and parents over the past few years.  He finds the San Francisco hockey experience extremely rewarding when considering the ability to play hockey and go to the beach… all on the same day… in the middle of “winter”.  

Coach Zach hales from the great state of Indiana (well known for corn, John Cougar and the Boilermakers) where he started to skate at the age of three. He continued on to play youth hockey with the AA Irish Rovers from Mites to Bantams before moving on to play High School hockey at St. Joseph’s while also playing on Team Michiana, the regional All- Star team.  His summers during those years consisted of his other love (baseball) and hockey camps at Miami of Ohio and Elite Camps in Nelson, BC (eh!). Zach opted against offers to play Junior hockey and attended Purdue University where he was a Center on the Club Team (funny enough because the last time he was a forward was when he was a squirt)!  Hockey and Zach took a leave of absence for his first few years in “the real world” but after sustaining a heel bone fracture in a bouldering fall last year he decided to give back to the sport that taught him so much; not just about a sport but about life in general. This is his first year with the Coaches whistle and is looking forward to a killer year with a great group of players.   Zach enjoys anything outdoors, more specifically living in the backcountry whenever possible, going for long bike rides and exploring this great city. 

Shane began skating in Alaska when he was 10 years old.  He played CHA division 2 college hockey at Georgia State University and has played rec league hockey obsessively for the past 18 years.  Shane has two young sons, Max and Ian, who are both in the San Francisco hockey program. He is certified as a USA Hockey Level 2 Coach and loves teaching kids about the great sport of hockey.

Coach Paul Switenki has USA Hockey Level 4 Coaching credentials and has been coaching youth since 1990, this 2009-2010 season marks his 11th with the Sabercats.  He grew up playing on the frozen lakes and outdoor rinks of his native Minnesota, and often attended Herb Brooks summer camps.  After his youth travel and high school hockey years, he attended Penn State University, where he played intramurals, practiced with the National Champion PSU Division I Club team and coached learn-to-skate, in-house and travel hockey.  He continued his coaching while attending the University of Colorado and while studying and working in the UK.  He has coached every level from Mites to Midgets...including a women's team in London, England. Although his favorite movie is "Miracle", he says it can't compare with the live version he saw as an inspired 9 year old. In his spare time Coach Paul likes to spend time with his wife Birgit and son Andre.