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..FROM
THE DESK OF MIKE HAYAKAWA..
NOVEMBER 25, 2002
When the Markham Waxers acquired
Tony Rossi in the
offseason from the Wexford Raiders it was expected the veteran right
winger would make a major contribution by scoring a tonne of goals. To
date, the 20-year-old Stouffville native has only lit the red light seven
times.
While Rossi acknowledged he was a little concerned with his goal scoring
famine at the start of the season, the intangibles he's brought to the
table have erased any personal pressure. One of those can be found in the
assist column as Rossi has recorded a team-high 30 assists through 26
games and leads the team in scoring.
Placed on different line combinations to start the Provincial Junior A
Hockey League season, Rossi has found his niche playing alongside
second-year centreman Ben
Cottreau, who has been on a scoring spree since mid-October.
"Playing with Ben has been great, we've seemed to click and we're putting
up numbers. Ben has great speed and he's smart and great in getting in the
open. All I have to do is give him the puck and he'll put it in." In
addition to creating a lot of chances for Cottreau and whoever fills out
their line, Rossi's has taken on more of an active role with the Waxers in
terms of giving some direction to the younger players.
"I'm playing the same style that I did at Wexford, but this year I'm
definitely more of a leader than I was at Wexford," said the third-year
junior A veteran performer.
Also easing some of the pressure off Rossi has been the club's performance
this season as they are in a dogfight with the Raiders through the early
going for first-place honours in the south conference.
"When I first came here I was a little skeptical," Rossi conceded. "But
now that everyone is coming together, I couldn't be happier. I couldn't
care less (about not scoring goals) as long as we're winning. Right now
we're looking great and I have a good feeling about this team." Waxers
head coach Russ Herrington
couldn't be more happier with Rossi's presence on the roster.
"Tony is slowly getting confidence around the net, he's too talented not
to start scoring again. He's learned to relax a little more around the
net."
"But his overall play has been fantastic. He's playing extremely smart and
he gives us what we need in a winning attitude. With him and Cottreau on a
line we have as deadly a combination as any other in the league. He's been
everything that wešve asked. Getting him was a great move."
While therešs still a bit of hockey still to be played this season, Rossi
remains confident he will regain his goal-scoring touch. "I think it's
starting to come," he said.
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| This article was written by Mike
Hayakawa and published in the Markham Economist and Sun. Minor edits
may have been performed to the original article. This has been reproduced with permission. |
In weekend action, the Waxers took to the ice for two
games and emerged with wins over the visiting Oshawa Legionaires 7-1 on
Friday and the host Ajax Axemen 6-2 on Sunday.
In Friday's win, Pat Porretta
scored the hat trick for the Waxers, who led 3-0 after one period and 4-1
through two. Michael
Diamond, Cottreau, Liam
Bowen and Jamie
Wright added singles. Bowen also scored twice in the win over the
Axemen while Mark Menonte,
Rossi, Cottreau and Jeff Weiss,
with his first junior A goal, added singles.
The Waxers also played the weekend without the services of defenceman
Michael Pain, who was
brought up by the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League for a
three-game stint.
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