Taylor Accursi

During high school, she played for the Burlington Barracudas of the Provincial Women's Hockey League.

From 2013 to 2017, she attended Mercyhurst University in the United States, and played with the Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey program in the College Hockey America (CHA) conference of the NCAA Division I. Across 123 games, she scored a total of 38 points. After struggling to produce in her first three seasons at Mercyhurst – she recorded only 15 points from the 2013–14 season to the 2015–16 season – she had a breakout senior campaign, scoring 23 points in 35 games of her final season.{{Cite web |last=Clinton |first=Jared |date=2020-01-14 |title=Opportunity allowed Taylor Accursi to fall back in love with the game – and turned her into an NWHL all-star |url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/opportunity-allowed-taylor-accursi-to-fall-back-in-love-with-the-game-and-turned-her-into-an-nwhl-all-star |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=The Hockey News}}

File:Taylor Accursi3.jpg in 2018]]

After graduating, she planned to retire from ice hockey and become a police officer, until her sister convinced her to try out for the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL; rebranded as PHF in 2021).{{Cite news |last=Radley |first=Scott |date=2019-12-01 |title=Ancaster pro is working to sell women's hockey in complicated times |newspaper=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://www.thespec.com/sports/hamilton-region/2019/12/01/ancaster-pro-is-working-to-sell-women-s-hockey-in-complicated-times.html |access-date=2022-11-20}} She scored her first career NWHL goal in October 2017 in a 3–2 victory over the Connecticut Whale, the opening goal of the 2017–18 NWHL season.

In the 2019–20 season, she put up 25 points in 24 games, including 16 goals, and finished in the league's top-5 scorers. Her contributions were not enough to carry the Beauts to the playoffs and they were eliminated in the play-in game against the Whale before the playoff semi-finals.{{Cite web |last=Lippa |first=Nick |date=2020-01-09 |title=Beauts Breakdown: Struggles continue, but Taylor Accursi is a bonafide star |url=https://news.wbfo.org/post/beauts-breakdown-struggles-continue-taylor-accursi-bonafide-star |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2021-01-05 |website=WBFO}} She was named to Team Dempsey for the 2020 NWHL All-Star Game.{{Cite web |last=Strollo |first=Leighann |date=2020-02-07 |title=2020 NWHL All-Star Weekend Preview |url=https://www.theicegarden.com/2020/2/7/21123065/how-to-watch-2020-nwhl-all-star-game-weekend-preview-twitch-womens-hockey-boston |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=The Ice Garden}} She scored a career-high four goals in a single game in the 2019 Buffalo Believes Classic, the NWHL's inaugural outdoor game, scoring all four in the third period to bring the Beauts back from a three-goal deficit (the Riveters ultimately won the game 7–4).{{Cite web|last=Rodriguez|first=Angelica|date=2019-12-31|title=Buffalo Believes Classic was an instant classic|url=https://www.theicegarden.com/2019/12/31/21044217/nwhl-labatt-blue-buffalo-believes-classic-buffalo-beauts-riveters-womens-hockey-outdoor-game|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-05|website=The Ice Garden}}

She re-signed with the Beauts for the 2020–21 NWHL season, the first player on the team to re-sign and was named team captain. However, after being unable to secure a full two weeks off her job outside of hockey, she was forced to opt-out of the bubble season.{{Cite web | url=https://thehockeywriters.com/buffalo-beauts-taylor-accursi-2020-21/ |title = Buffalo Beauts Sign Premier Scorer Taylor Accursi for 2020-21|date = 5 April 2020}}

Often described as a natural goalscorer, Accursi has been noted for her speed, acceleration, and her stickhandling skills.{{Cite web|last=Tocheri|first=Julia|date=December 2020|title=One player to watch on each NWHL team this upcoming season|url=https://www.bardown.com/one-player-to-watch-on-each-nwhl-team-this-upcoming-season-1.1568192|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Bardown}}{{Cite web|last=Bryant|first=Casey|date=2020-10-30|title=All-Time Starting Lineup: Buffalo Beauts|url=https://www.theicegarden.com/2020/10/30/21529131/all-time-starting-lineup-buffalo-beauts-nwhl-womens-hockey|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-05|website=The Ice Garden}} In 2017, Nate Oliver, who would later become Beauts' general manager, compared her stickhandling to Pavel Datsyuk, stating that "like Houdini, she is a bit of an escape artist. A small opening and, zoom, she’s gone."{{Cite web|last=Oliver|first=Nate|date=2017-10-31|title=Beauts Taylor Accursi's Magical Stick-Handling|url=https://thehockeywriters.com/buffalo-beauts-taylor-accursi-stickhandling/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-05|website=The Hockey Writers}} When asked to describe her own style of play, she stated that "I like to score goals... definitely score goals."{{Cite web|last=Burgess|first=Melissa|date=2017-11-28|title=Taylor Accursi Speeds Her Way to NWHL Success|url=https://victorypress.org/2017/11/28/taylor-accursi-nwhl-buffalo-beauts/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-05|website=The Victory Press}} She has also received attention for her goal celebrations.{{Cite web |last=Pesarchick |first=Mike |date=2020-02-07 |title=Beauts' Taylor Accursi , aka 'Celly Queen,' readies for NWHL All-Star Game |url=https://buffalonews.com/2020/02/07/buffalo-beauts-taylor-accursi-nwhl-all-star-game-news-opinion-q-a-womens-hockey-2020/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2021-01-05 |website=The Buffalo News}}{{Cite web|last=Rice|first=Dan|date=2019-11-21|title=Beauts' Accursi Inspiring Fans Near and Far|url=https://thehockeywriters.com/buffalo-beauts-taylor-accursi-inspiring-fans/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-05|website=The Hockey Writers}}

Outside of hockey, Accursi works as a police officer for the Ontario Provincial Police.{{Cite web|last=Tokarski|first=Anne|date=2021-01-14|title=Beauts' Taylor Accursi to sit out NWHL season six|url=https://www.theicegarden.com/2021/1/14/22231555/beauts-taylor-accursi-to-sit-out-nwhl-season-six-buffalo-womens-hockey-lake-placid|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=The Ice Garden}} Her sister, Hunter Accursi, also plays for the Beauts.{{Cite web |last=Radley |first=Scott |date=2021-01-12 |title=Taylor, Hunter Accursi set to take sister act to the NWHL |url=https://www.thestar.com/nd/sports/niagara-region/2021/01/11/taylor-hunter-accursi-set-to-take-sister-act-to-the-nwhl.html |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2021-01-15 |website=Toronto Star}} She is related to former National Lacrosse League player Mike Accursi.{{Cite web |title=2016-2017 Women's Ice Hockey Roster: 6 Taylor Accursi |url=https://hurstathletics.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/roster/taylor-accursi/7471 |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Mercyhurst Athletics}}

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Category:1995 births

Category:Living people

Category:Buffalo Beauts players

Category:Canadian women's ice hockey forwards

Category:Canadian women police officers

Category:Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey players

Category:Ice hockey people from Hamilton, Ontario

Category:21st-century Canadian sportswomen