Prep U16 Girls Coaching Staff Named

 

Ms. Tougas was the assistant coach of the varsity girls team this past season. She understands the ins and outs of boarding school and has demonstrated her willingness to fully immerse herself in life on campus. On the ice, she worked closely with Head Coach Bernie Pimm and proved to be a hard-working and reliable coach. She is a student of the game, runs a great practice on ice and is a respected and valued member of our current staff.

 

Before coming to Stanstead College for the 2020-2021 season, Ms. Tougas was an assistant coach at Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ont. (2019-2020). Prior to that, she was a head coach at Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, BC (2017-2019). In addition, Ms. Tougas was assistant coach with OWHA at the Ontario Summer Games in 2016 and at the 2017 Team Ontario Selection Camp. In 2018, she was a head coach with the Okanagan Hockey Academy female varsity team, which won the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) regular season and playoff championship.

 

Ms. Tougas grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario and was a member of the 2010 Esso Cup championship team with the Thunder Bay Queens. In fact, she assisted on the winning goal in a 4-3 win over Notre Dame. After midget hockey, Ms. Tougas played at the University of Toronto (2012-2014) for three time Olympic medalist Vicky Sunohara and five time Olympic medalist Jayna Hefford before moving back to Thunder Bay to complete her Bachelor of Administration at Lakehead University (2016).

 

"I look forward to building an even deeper foundation of girls hockey at Stanstead College and giving younger girls the opportunity to be a part of an elite hockey program along with the academic excellence that Stanstead College provides,” said Ms. Tougas. “I cannot wait to work with some of the top youth hockey players in the world and help develop them into not just great players but even better people."

 

Joining Courtney Tougas on the coaching staff will be Kyra Borsoi. Ms. Borsoi has been completing a communications and hockey internship at Stanstead College this past year. During this time, she was the second assistant coach on the varsity girls hockey team and worked very closely with both Ms. Tougas and Mr. Pimm. She also helped coach junior boys soccer during the fall season.

 

Before Stanstead College, Ms. Borsoi completed a degree in Communications and Public Relations at Utica College (2020) in Upstate New York. Ms. Borsoi played both hockey and soccer during her four-year degree. Before college, the Montreal, QC native attended Holderness School in New Hampshire. Ms. Borsoi has been a great addition to Stanstead College. She is perfectly fluent in both English and French and has personal experience with prep school life.

 

“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to be part of the prep girls coaching staff,” said Ms. Borsoi. “There is an enormous amount of potential with this new team. I can’t wait to be able to help these young girls achieve their goals and develop on and off the ice.”

 

The final member of the coaching staff will be Frank Longo. Mr. Longo has been working at Stanstead College throughout the 2020-2021 season in a hockey internship position as our goaltender coach. Mr. Longo has quickly become a beloved member of our staff and is especially appreciated by the goalies in the program. Mr. Longo’s passion and knowledge of the game have been most impressive.

 

Before Stanstead, Mr. Longo completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont. Mr. Longo is a well-rounded athlete with a background as both a goaltender and university lacrosse player.

 

"I am excited to work alongside two very intelligent coaches who love the game immensely,” said Mr. Longo. “I look forward to helping develop the next wave of college-calibre athletes. As we welcome new faces to campus in the fall, we are looking to make a competitive impact and start a new legacy of Spartans hockey"

 

Director of Hockey Operations, James Rioux, is confident that these three coaches will work tirelessly to provide our girls with an outstanding experience both on and off ice.

 

“Having worked with them during this historic pandemic” Mr. Rioux said, “I know just how loved they are by our current students.”