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01/25/2017 11:00 PMBrian McKee has been on a tear with the North Branford boys’ ice hockey team. The T-Birds recently finished a grueling week where they played three games in six days and, although a schedule like that can sap the strength of any athlete, Brian seemed energized by it and took his game to another level by scoring seven goals during that stretch.
While Brian’s recent surge has proved integral to his growth as a hockey player, the seeds to his success were planted early on. When Brian was much younger, before he ever picked up a hockey stick, his grandparents gave him a yardstick and a rolled-up sock. Brian seemed to have a knack for controlling the sock and putting it into whatever makeshift goal he’d created. Brian soon learned to skate in a backyard ice rink and, not long after that, Brian’s parents were driving him to the early morning ice times and hockey clinics that helped him become the player he is today.
“I’m the way I am because of my parents and because I was coached by great coaches,” says Brian.
One of the people who Brian credits for his progression is Ralph Shaw, the head coach of the North Branford boys’ ice hockey squad. Shaw says that Brian is a constant threat for the T-Birds and adds that he also excels off the ice. Brian, a senior, has 12 goals with six assists for Shaw’s club this winter.
“He’s just been a contributor all along. He’s shifty, a dangerous hockey player on the ice. He’s realizing his potential,” says Shaw. “He’s a solid individual in the classroom, on the ice, and in the community. He’s just a guy coaches love to have on their team.”
As much as Brian loves hockey, he actually struggled to find his way when he first started competing at the squirt level. Brian even decided to stop playing after a season of organized hockey, but he missed being on a team so much that he was back on the ice the following year.
Even though hockey will always be Brian’s favorite sport, being part of a team is what he values the most. Brian is a year-round athlete. When he finishes this hockey season, he will once again compete on North Branford’s boys’ lacrosse team, for which he was the leading scorer with 61 goals and 27 assists last spring. Brian’s mentality on the lacrosse field is similar to his approach in hockey.
“I’m just keeping my head up, looking for the best play,” says Brian. “It’s the same mentality as a chess match: Keep your eyes open for every opportunity, think two plays ahead.”
Brian uses that same mental focus to work tirelessly in his quest to become a better player. Still, even with all of his individual success, Brian thinks of any goal that he scores as more of a team accomplishment than a personal one.
“Everybody has a big role on a team. Everyone is involved in how a play develops,” says Brian. “I didn’t get those goals by myself. My teammates put me in a position to make those goals.”
One of those teammates is his brother Sean McKee, who plays on the same line as Brian. In a recent contest against Cheshire, Sean dumped the puck into the T-Birds’ offensive zone, where Scott Clinton picked up it behind the net and passed to Brian, who buried it for the score.
Coach Shaw sees the benefit of pairing up the McKee brothers considering how familiar they are with each other, although he admits that wasn’t always the case.
“They were kind of like oil and water last year. This year, they’ve turned it up,” says Shaw. “They’re both capable of scoring or assisting on any play.”
Brian says that his ability to play well with his brother stems from his experience of competing alongside a variety of teammates throughout his career.
“It comes from always being around different groups of guys with different talents,” says Brian. “You have to use your past experience to inform your present and carry you to the future.”
Brian had always played left wing for North Branford, but when the T-Birds needed someone to take face-offs after their top center got injured late last year, Coach Shaw helped Brian transition from the flank to the center position.
“It was a natural fit,” says Shaw. “Great eye-hand coordination, fabulous leader. It was a no-brainer for us.”
Brian’s aptitude for leadership also helped him become a captain for North Branford this year. It’s a role that Brian feels proud to hold.
“Being a captain means a lot to me,” says Brian. “We’re in that role because the coaches believe in us and how we play. So we have to keep being ourselves.”
As a captain, Brian knows that one of his most important responsibilities is to keep his everyone’s spirits up and motivate his teammates to play the game they love—even when North Branford is scuffling.
“We can’t force things,” says Brian. “Good things come naturally. We just have to have fun and good things will come.”