Q&A With Brandon Yip

First in a series of Q&A interviews with former Terriers who debuted in the NHL last season.

After winning an NCAA championship, former Terrier wing Brandon Yip didn’t head for DisneyWorld, but set sights on the NHL. And he got there in just a few months, following recovery from a hand injury suffered at Avalanche training camp injury and a six-game AHL pit stop. Once in a Colorado sweater, Yip did the same thing he did as a Terrier: play physical hockey and find the back of the net. Limited to 32 regular season games, he put up an 11-8-19 line and led all NHL rookies in goals per game. Following the season, he signed a new two-year contract with Colorado.

Yip is the only player to score the game-winning goal in two Hockey East Championship games (2006, 2009), tallied 108 points during his Terrier career, which concluded with BU’s comeback win in the 2009 NCAA championship game win against Miami, 4-3, OT.

Q. Where have you been spending the offseason?
A. I have been spending my offseason in Boston for the most part. I am still training with Mike Boyle in Winchester. I also go back to Vancouver for a few weeks at a time to visit my family and friends.

Q. What did you learn at BU, on or off the ice, that has benefitted you in having a successful first season with Colorado?
A. I think the most beneficial attribute that I learned from BU and took to Colorado was “work ethic.” Coach Parker really stressed a good work ethic during practice and in summer training. Working hard really does pay off and I have learned that thus far.
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Junior National camp update

Charlie Coyle (#18) scored a goal and Adam Clendening (#4) added a power play assist in Team USA's 6-3 win against Sweden in the first of four exhibition games in Lake Placid. Team USA next takes on Finland.
• Game recap.

NHL.com's Adam Kimmel, covering the game, wrote:

Charlie Coyle and Beau Bennett haven't played against the same high-caliber opposition as some of their U.S. teammates. In their first big-time international match, however, both came through with flying colors.

Coyle had a goal, dominated in the faceoff circle and showed his great skating ability, and Bennett had a pair of assists as the U.S. jumped to a 4-0 lead in the game's first four minutes and held on for a 6-3 victory against Sweden in an exhibition game during USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp.

"I thought they both did a very good job," U.S. coach Keith Allain said. "Charlie was on the power play, he killed penalties. Beau did a good job for us on the power play. They did what we hoped they would do. … They played well. It was a great game and they were good players in a great game."