ROCHESTER — Old Rochester Regional High School junior Tucker Roy first put on a pair of skates at three years old. Inspired by his dad and cousins, Roy started playing hockey in a youth league and fell in love with “just everything about it.” 

Roy now plays for the Old Rochester varsity team, where he’s been a starting goalie since he was a freshman. Head Coach Zach Ledogar praised Roy’s distinct talent for goalkeeping, naming him as one of the best in the state.

“A lot of games have been won because of him. He’s one of the best goal attenders in the area, if not the state, and his stats prove that,” said Ledogar.

When Roy was younger, he would alternate between player and goalie but would always gravitate toward the goaltender position.

Seeing the skills of former Bruins goalie Tim Thomas also inspired his decision to focus on becoming a goaltender.

According to Roy, this season for Old Rochester “started off a little rough but then we went on a six game win streak at the end of the season so that helped a lot.”

He attributes the team’s success to “practicing more and just working harder.”

“I feel like we’re finally starting to click,” said Roy.

Ledogar complimented the goalie’s ability to give his best in every game. 

“He’s just someone that’s going to not only make the first save, but the second, third and fourth save and makes it look so natural because of his athletic ability,” said Ledogar.

Roy enjoys spending time bonding with his teammates outside of practice, which has helped to improve their performance on the ice as well.

The team gets dinner together, watches NHL and pro games and plays NHL video games together.

“He’s calling out what needs to be happening on the ice, off the ice. He does everything throughout the season to get his game better physically and mentally,” said Ledogar.

Outside of hockey, the 17-year-old is also an Old Rochester School Ambassador. This program encourages students to represent the school at community and educational events in the area. 

“I think that he’s a great leader and good role model for a lot of the kids on the team,” said Ledogar.

Roy also plays varsity football and lacrosse for Old Rochester. Looking forward, Roy intends to continue his athletic career in college.

“I’m looking to play hockey but if the opportunity comes up for football, I would take that as well,” said Roy.

“He’s very athletic — he’s an athlete,” said Ledogar.

The Old Rochester varsity hockey team qualified for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament in February, ranking 15 out of 32 eligible teams.

After a loss to Hanover High School in the state tournament, Roy looks forward to continuing to play next season.

“I want to make it further in the playoffs and just keep on improving,” said Roy. “We didn’t achieve what we wanted to but hopefully we can next year and make some more noise in the playoffs.”