Raiders four-peat
Anna Corfield knows nothing but winning with the Holy Cross Raiders.
The 16-year-old, Grade 11 netminder was between the pipes Tuesday as the Raiders topped the Denis Morris Reds 5-1 to capture the Niagara Catholic Athletics Zone 2 AA girls hockey championship in Virgil.
“It feels pretty great,” Corfield said. “I mean, we wanted to come back and win a third time, so that feeling is pretty great.”
The title was the third for Corfield and fourth in a row for the Raiders who advance to the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) in Ancaster.
Corfield began playing hockey when she was six but had to wait a couple of years to strap on the pads.
“I won (my first game) 10-0 and I thought I was good at it so I continued it from there,” she smiled.
Corfield, who also plays for the Niagara Rapids U18s squad, is the first to admit it takes a special kind of person to be a goaltender.
“Sounds crazy, but I guess it’s fun,” Corfield said. “Basically, goalies are crazy and I guess I’m one of them.”
Corfield said the Raiders have a solid group of players led by twins Chelsea and Caileigh Tiller, who are both headed to the University of Connecticut on hockey scholarships.
“I’d say definitely the Tillers help and probably just our team chemistry,” Corfield said. “We’re all pretty good friends and we all get along, so it’s just fun to go out with all the girls and we just have fun and try our best.”
Corfield, who is looking to play at the post-secondary level on either side of the border, would also love to continue to progress enough to play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League
“It (PWHL) is amazing. It’s definitely something to look up to. When I was little, there was nowhere really for us to go after university, so now that there is, I mean, it’s definitely a dream of mine to play there.”
Raiders coach Mike Accursi said the team is built around the Tillers and Corfield, but are much more than a three-player squad.
“You’ve got two of the best players in this area, and that definitely helps,” Accursi said. “You’ve got Anna, who’s an amazing goalie and plays at high level, so you put a couple really good players with a lot of other really good players. We’ve got some great Grade 9s and Grade 10s and we only lose one player this year so we’re going be good for years to come and it’s exciting to watch.”
The Raiders don’t want to look too far ahead but admit they have their hearts set on another appearance at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championships. The Raiders were eliminated in the semifinals last season after earning a silver in 2023.
“We’ve definitely looked at it. We want to try and get to OFSAA and our goal is to eventually win OFSAA,” Accursi said. “We’re deep everywhere, so I think we’ll be a hard out for anybody.
“I’d love for these girls to win an OSFAA. We were so close a couple years ago, it would be nice to get back there.”
Denis Morris assistant coach Laura Petroff Torossian said she was pleased with the effort of the Reds against the Raiders, which turned chippy at times.
“It’s hard, but I think the girls kind of know what it is going into it and they just like we are so proud with how they played today,” she said. “And you have to do what you have to do, we tried to stop them however we could stop them. And you just have to know that going in and being aware of what the ability is and adjust accordingly.”
The Reds, who went 5-2 in the regular season, will lose four seniors from this season’s team.
Caileigh Tiller had four goals and an assist while Avery Williams also scored.
Taylor Pirri repled for DM.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,600 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact [email protected] for more information.
