How goalie Corinne Schroeder became PWHL New York's 'brick wall'
CBC
Amanda Alessi remembers meeting a shy 17-year-old from Manitoba ahead of the 2017 U18 women's world championship.
Alessi was a goaltending consultant for the Canadian team, and Corinne Schroeder was a nearly six-foot-tall goaltender who could get around her net quickly.
"She was quiet, very reserved," said Alessi, who was a goaltender on Canada's very first U18 team in 2008. "But kind of this like potential full package goalie that was just young and hadn't had a ton of exposure yet."
Schroeder didn't start a game at that tournament, but the staff at Hockey Canada were excited by her combination of size, mobility and calm presence.
Seven years later, 24-year-old Schroeder is forcing her way into the conversation for one of three goaltending jobs with Canada's senior national team.
She's also making an early case as a contender for the PWHL's best goaltender. Over five starts with New York, she's posted a goals against average of 1.79 while facing more shots (167) than any goalie in the league except Montreal's Ann-Renée Desbiens.
In between, Schroeder has built an impressive resumé. Over four years at Boston University, she set program records for the best goals against average (1.98) and save percentage (.929) over 91 career games.
She transferred to Quinnipiac University for her final year of college eligibility, and posted six shutouts en route to being a finalist for NCAA women's goaltender of the year.
Schroeder didn't miss a beat in her transition to the pros with the Boston Pride of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). Before the league shut down, Schroeder was named goaltender and rookie of the year.
WATCH l Schroeder shuts out Toronto in first PWHL game:
She's had a stellar start to her PWHL career, too, posting a shutout in the league's inaugural game on Jan. 1, a day she admitted was "pretty stressful." Her New York team beat Toronto 4-0 with more than 2,500 people in the stands and nearly three million more watching from home.
But Schroeder has found a way to tune out noise and rise to the challenge of the next level, whether it's moving from college to the pros or playing under the bright lights of the first PWHL game.
"We always joke about her being a brick wall, and I've seen people refer to her as that as well," New York teammate Jade Downie-Landry said.
"She really is and I think what kind of makes her unique is her focus. She's always 100 per cent in it. She doesn't do things halfway. She always wants to be the best and keep improving."
