The Great Redemption

Flanked by his linemates on an odd-man rush, he glides toward the Boston College net. The puck zips behind him as Jason Lawrence’s cross-ice pass makes its way to Chris Higgins at the right faceoff circle. Anticipating that the rubber biscuit will soon find his stick, he roams to the right doorstep of Eagles goaltender Cory Schneider.

A split-second later, his instincts are rewarded. Just as Higgins’ picture-perfect centering pass approaches the left post, he slips the puck past a shell-shocked Schneider.

Pandemonium ensues at TD Banknorth Garden. The Boston University men’s hockey team is celebrating a 2-1 overtime victory in the Hockey East championship game thanks to its freshman phenom from Maple Ridge, British Columbia – the 2005-06 Hockey East Rookie of the Year, Brandon Yip.

Fast forward three seasons, and the setting is much the same. The Terriers are once again basking in the glory of a Hockey East title at the Garden, and Yip, now a 23-year-old senior, is a major reason why. His first-period goal, a converted rebound from inside the crease, is all BU needs in a 1-0 win over the University of Massachusetts-Lowell to claim its second conference championship in four years.

The events of March 18, 2006, and March 21, 2009, will forever be associated with Yip, whose rare feat of scoring two conference title-clinching goals won’t soon be forgotten. But for all the adulation that came his way on those nights, there was just as much adversity in the years between. Once a rookie star who took Commonwealth Avenue by storm three years ago, Yip has been on a rollercoaster ride of a career ever since.

Debilitating injuries, a life-changing suspension and an uninspiring work ethic sunk him to the depths of hockey purgatory. But he never surrendered. And it wasn’t until this season ‘-‘- a magical voyage that concluded with his Terriers hoisting the national championship trophy ‘-‘- that Yip finally rose from the ashes of unfulfilled expectations. Fueled by a renewed focus on and off the ice, Yip re-established himself as an elite player on a team that boasted some of the top talent in all of college hockey.

Before the stormy clouds of misfortune hung over his head, there were waves upon waves of success. The 2005-06 season offered fans a glimpse of the Brandon Yip who was supposed to be ‘-‘- no, was going to be ‘-‘- a standout for years to come. An eighth-round selection by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2004 National Hockey League draft, he combined playmaking with punishing physicality during a rookie season in which he racked up 31 points.

Minus several veteran scorers lost to graduation, BU turned to the reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Year the following fall to front its offensive attack. All signs pointed to a monster season from the sophomore winger. But it wasn’t to be.

The initial blow of Yip’s downward spiral came Oct. 20, 2006, at Agganis Arena, BU’s home opener against Northeastern University. True to his aggressive style of play, he administered a brutal hit on an opposing player, the result of which was a cracked bone in his left shoulder. One year after appearing in 39 games for the Terriers, Yip had no choice but to sit back as the injury bug tore into him during a sophomore season in which he played just 18 contests.

Career lows in goals (5) and assists (6) told the story for Yip, who struggled through the rehabilitation process while working his way back from ankle and shoulder ailments.

‘I had never really dealt with any serious injury in my career, and I didn’t know how to deal with it,’ Yip said. ‘It was devastating. I learned from that. Now, I think if I had another injury, I would handle it a lot better as far as off-ice training and getting ready to get back in game shape.’

With his sophomore season ‘-‘- or lack thereof ‘-‘- behind him, Yip entered the 2007-08 campaign primed to rediscover his freshman-year form. He had fought through the ankle and shoulder injuries that shelved him for 21 games in 2006-07, and was ready to take his rightful place as one of the premier forwards in Hockey East.

What he didn’t account for was the mental downside of missing so much time the previous season. Although Yip might have been physically healed, an unmistakable disconnect existed between his mind and body. His work ethic slipped to a point where he began taking drills off in practice. He had grown complacent.

‘I took a little bit for granted and didn’t keep working as hard as I needed to,’ Yip said. ‘The main thing was just my attitude. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I wasn’t ready to adapt to having a good work ethic, and I think that’s what held me back.’

Following a pair of losses to BC late in 2007, Yip’s commitment to the program reached a breaking point. One day after the Eagles completed a weekend sweep, he joined senior teammates Bryan Ewing, Dan McGoff and Brian McGuirk for a Sunday afternoon drinking excursion, violating one of BU coach Jack Parker’s strictest rules. On a team where players are allowed to go out drinking exclusively on Saturday nights, Yip’s actions nearly spelled the end of his BU career.

Two years prior, he was the Hockey East Rookie of the Year. Now, he was suspended indefinitely.

‘I know the guys involved thought that might be the end of it because that’s a rule we hold dear,’ Parker said. ‘I thought about kicking them off the team for a while. I was really [ticked] off that these upperclassmen were doing this. We wanted the guys to live up to that socializing rule, and [Yip] didn’t live up to it.’

Parker ultimately reinstated the quartet one week later, affording Yip the second chance he wanted ‘-‘- and needed ‘-‘- so desperately. The threat of almost being released from the team opened Yip’s eyes to the importance of hockey in his life. He realized there was no excuse for a lax work ethic. Not for a player with his skillset, the talent most can only dream about.

‘It was a life-learning experience,’ Yip said. ‘My attitude and head were focused in the wrong area. We fixed that, and I haven’t looked back since. It was an eye-opener, and I was really disappointed in myself. It’s something I really regret looking back on it now, but I learned a lot from it. I’ve gotten a lot better because of it.’

Yip’s return coincided with a second-half run in which the 2007-08 Terriers took off in pursuit of a postseason berth. A woeful 4-10-2 start blossomed into a 19-win campaign, one that fell just short of a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Leading the late-season charge was a rejuvenated Yip, who finished the year with a career-high 11 goals.

‘I’d say the suspension was a little bit of a wakeup call,’ teammate John McCarthy said. ‘When all those guys came back, they came back with more of a fire behind them. It led to Yipper having a successful season after he came back. He learned a lesson from that.’

In an individual meeting with the BU coaches after that season, Yip was sternly reminded to work diligently during the months leading up to his senior year. There would be no time for slacking from one of the players most vital to the Terriers’ national title hopes.

‘They wanted me to set goals and work hard in the offseason,’ Yip said. ‘It wasn’t a surprise. I knew I had to get better and have a better attitude toward work ethic.’

Mentally rededicated and physically rebuilt, Yip returned to Boston the following summer a different player. Gone were the lackadaisical work habits of the past, replaced by a determination to prove that his best hockey was still ahead of him. Just weeks into the season, it became clear that Yip’s objective wasn’t simply to match the production of his freshman counterpart.

Evidenced by his career bests of 20 goals and 23 assists, Yip was as reliable as any player on BU’s roster this season. In late February, Parker referred to him as the Terriers’ most consistent forward ‘-‘- a telltale sign that Yip’s career had come full circle in the eyes of his coach.

But on a team that featured two Hobey Baker Award finalists in senior defenseman Matt Gilroy and sophomore forward Colin Wilson, along with one of the NCAA’s top goaltenders in freshman Kieran Millan, Yip flew under the radar on a national level.

Accolades, however, are not the priority they once were for Brandon Yip. Not after letting a hockey career filled with such promise nearly slip through his fingers. In a sport where so many players are haunted by their untapped potential and eventually fall by the wayside, Yip’s story is one of perseverance and redemption. Few could have predicted his precipitous fall from stardom, but even fewer could have foreseen his journey back to prominence.’ ‘

‘Some years you have great years. Some years you have outstanding years,’ Lawrence said. ‘This year, as a senior and as a leader, he just stepped it up more. He’s a great hockey player. Now, he’s just showing everyone how much better he is than he was four years ago.’