By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Ashland High School goalie Jack Rossi is hoping he can lead the Clockers hockey team all the way to the Boston Garden to have a shot at capturing a Division 4 State Championship. 

Last winter Ashland qualified for the tournament, but were sent home in the Round of 16. 

Rossi and his teammates are hoping to avenge that loss this season.

“This season I feel that I am ready to have a good year and would like to be named to the Tri-Valley All Star team and possibly put up an MVP season,” the senior captain said. “While the individual awards would be great, most importantly I want to get the team to the Garden while having the best season that we can possibly have.”

Rossi recalled his mom was iffy about him playing ice hockey and when some friends asked him to try out with them she was on a business trip to California, his dad let him go to the tryouts. Things worked out in his favor as he made the Framingham Youth team as a right winger, but one year later he was switching positions for the better.

“The following year our team didn’t have a goalie, so I stepped up and took control of the position,” Rossi said. “As a right winger I really never liked coming off the ice; as a goalie I don’t have to and as a baseball catcher I was familiar with the glove.”

After playing in Framingham, he moved over to the Minuteman Flames out of Marlborough, in the fifth grade and was there right up until high school. 

Rossi was lucky to have won the Championship his first season with the Flames and would love to bring that feeling back with the Clockers capturing a championship.

As a freshman he found himself as the varsity back-up while playing in all the junior varsity games. During that freshman campaign he did get to start his first varsity game during a tournament where he posted a shutout for the win. Covid made things difficult during his sophomore year, so he just continued to work out and perfect his game for the following season.

Last winter Rossi found himself starting 22 games, helping get Ashland to the Sweet 16 of the Division 4 State Tournament, where they lost to Assabet Valley 5-3. 

According to Ashland Coach Mike Roman, the then-junior earned his way as the varsity starter that season and had himself a good year with a goals against average in the low 3 range. 

“Jack was ready to take over the position when the season began last year,” Roman said. “He worked extremely hard during the off-season and attending some goaltending clinics. He wanted to come into the season focused and ready to do well. I expect him to continue to be that solid positional goaltender once again this season.”

Despite putting up good numbers and having a rather successful season last winter, Rossi feels that he could have played better.

“It was great making the tournament for the first time and playing in front of the entire school and town is something that I will always remember,” he said. “There was a lot of disappointment in not getting to the Garden last year, but it is definitely a priority this year.”

Preparing for his senior season, Rossi found himself on the ice five or six days a week during this past off-season. The captain began renting ice in early July right up until the beginning of the season. 

 

Playing in the TVL Ashland finds themselves skating against a lot of higher divisional teams throughout the season, making it that much tougher on the Clockers to pick up wins. However with their hard work and the new strength of schedule rules they should once again be able to qualify for the Division 4 State Tournament and hopefully get past the Round of 16, where they faltered last season. 

“I am looking to keep the pucks out of the net while keeping Ashland in the games so that we can pick up some wins. Rossi believes that if the Clockers can get their offense going then the sky’s the limit this winter. 

“I love being a leader and that vocal guy in the locker room,” he said. “I want to provide what my captains did for me: to be a good teammate, have them look up to me in the way I play the game and to answer any questions that they might have.”

As Rossi and his Ashland teammates are working toward that ultimate goal of winning a State Championship this season, the senior captain will get to continue playing hockey next year at Bridgton Academy, a prep school in Maine. At Bridgton he will get the opportunity to play some of the top contenders in the Northeast as well as in Canada, but while that is on the horizon, Rossi is looking to stay focused this season.