Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, 17-year-old Brady Bender began a demanding workout seated at a computer, behind the closed door of a small room stripped of distraction.

As words flashed before him, he committed them to memory. Visual prompts required a quick left or right mouse click. The computer asked him to recognize and remember patterns, match words and colors — and once again recall that first set of words.

For 22 minutes, exercises taxed his brain to help determine whether Brady could safely resume a competitive hockey career interrupted by a concussion nearly two weeks earlier, when a body check from behind sent him headfirst into the boards.

"I really wanted to get back and start playing right away," said Bender, who aspires to play college hockey. "But I tried to focus on the long run. If I go back too early, I could ruin my whole career with one hit and be done."

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