When Ravens forward Taylor Killip’s shot rebounded off a Concordia University Stingers defender and into the back of the net, she felt some relief to get her first-ever U Sports point. It’s been a long road for her and the goal was certainly a special one.
“I didn’t even know it went in, to be honest. I really needed to get that out of the way,” she said.
“When you score your first goal at this level, it’s special for anyone,” Pierre Alain, Ravens women’s hockey head coach, said. “But, Taylor worked so hard to get it.”
Killip’s parents had the TV on that afternoon in Taylor’s hometown of Victoria, B.C., and it was a special moment for them as well.
“We were both screaming and jumping up and down,” Val, Killip’s mom, said. “She really needed that. It lifted her spirits so much because she has been trying so hard.”
This first small victory on the ice follows another such victory – winning the battle against cancer last year.
Early that season, Killip kept getting sick. She went to see a specialist for her stomach pain who told her if it got worse, to go to the emergency room. When she went to the hospital, doctors treated her pain and sent her home.
“They just kept sending us home,” Nieve Seeley, Ravens goalie and Killip’s best friend said. “They didn’t treat her like a priority.”
After a call home screaming in pain, her dad Greg called the hospital and Killip was admitted, to get her appendix removed. Val flew in from Victoria to Ottawa to be with her daughter. Then, a winter storm pushed the surgery back. Val slept a few nights in the hospital waiting for the surgery day.
Finally, Killip had surgery and her appendix was removed. Two weeks after the surgery, doctors found a neuroendocrine tumour.
“When I got the phone call after I was home, it was on my birthday, and it was pretty upsetting to get that phone call,” Val said. “We were quite fortunate because if her appendix would have burst, we wouldn’t have known about the tumour and it would have spread everywhere.”
Killip said that hockey and her team are what kept her going. “Hockey was the one thing I could do that I didn’t have to let my body worry about,” Killip said. “If something was going on, I would go on the ice and it would get out of my mind. When I wasn’t allowed to play, I struggled a lot.”
“We are a family and when people need help, we are all there to help,” Alain said. He added that the team kept themselves updated on how Taylor was doing.
“Having the support of her teammates helped her a lot,” Val said. When she first arrived at the hospital, Taylor was surrounded by teammates. “I can’t thank them enough for being there for her.”
With no immediate family in the area, Val said having her teammates was very important for Killip, but also for her and Greg.
Originally, Taylor had her eyes on the States, but a couple of things changed her mind.
Alain said her grandfather recommended the Sprott School of Business and said she should touch base with the coach over at Carleton.
“I’ve never met him, but I can’t wait to meet him and thank him very much for sending your granddaughter here,” Alain said with a chuckle.
Val said they were set to visit some schools in New York but decided to cancel and came to visit Carleton instead.
“I loved the campus and the people on the team,” Taylor said of her impression upon visiting Carleton. “So, I signed here.”
“We kind of wanted her to stay in Canada,” Val said. “All the cards just fell in place for us.”
It’s also special for the team to have a player that has gone through Taylor’s journey.
“She went through rough stuff last year, and we are very proud of her,” Alain said. “She’s a great example of perseverance and resilience.”
“When [Killip is] giving everything all the time, it sends a message to everyone else to keep their skates moving and let’s keep going,” fourth-year Ravens forward Shannon Pearson said. “I never see that kid give up.”
“If we go down, she’s like ‘Okay, we are getting the next one,’” Seeley said. “I think when Taylor is in the lineup, we play our best games.”
“She’s always smiling and having fun out there,” Alain said. “She brings a lot of energy.”
For Val, it’s been tough, but she’s thankful. “For me to see my child go through this, is heartbreaking. I’d rather go through it than watch her,” she said.
“I can’t imagine the things she has put herself through. I’m very thankful that she’s a strong kid.”
“Many people might give up on hockey or give up on school and stay home but no, she’s Taylor—she just keeps going through it,” Seeley said.
Photo provided by Marc Lafleur
