UM’s Moore relishes role on gold-medal team

ORONO – As he accepted the congratulatory handshakes and hugs and the “Welcome Backs” from his University of Maine teammates, you could tell a jet-lagged Greg Moore was happy to be back.

But the Lisbon native didn’t return from the World Junior Championships in Finland empty-handed. He had a gold medal after the United States capped a 6-0 performance with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over archrival Canada in the final.

“It was unbelievable,” said the sophomore right winger. “Our team was well-coached. All the guys pulled together real well. That last game, a lot of guys came back in the third period and showed a lot of heart. It was a fun two weeks.”

Moore was on a line with Colorado College left wing Brett Sterling and center Dan Fritsche, who has played 19 games for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets this season.

He had three assists and was also used as a regular penalty-killer.

“I was extremely happy with the way I played,” said Moore. “My role changed because we had so much talent on the team. We had a lot of big goal scorers so I was more of a defensive player. I was the guy who stayed high in the offensive zone [to prevent odd-man rushes]. I prided myself on playing a smart hockey game.

“I didn’t get a ton of points but I still feel like I had a good tournament. I was happy that I was able to get the little things done right and that helped us win the championship,” Moore added.

USA coach Mike Eaves agreed.

“Greg played very well. We were really pleased with the part of the package Greg provided,” said Eaves. “He gave us everything we thought he would. We knew his size, speed and strength would be a factor.”

Eaves had Moore on the ice in the final minute to protect the 4-3 lead and win over Canada. The Canadians had pulled goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in favor of the extra attacker.

“The reason he was on the ice for the last faceoff is we knew he would do what it took to get the job done,” said Eaves.

“That meant a lot to me to be out there at the end. I take a lot of pride in my defensive play and coach Eaves knew that,” said Moore, who pointed out they had practiced that 6-on-5 situation a few days earlier in practice.

It was a far cry from last year when Moore saw limited ice time as a fourth-liner in the World Junior Championships in Nova Scotia.

“Last year, I was pretty disappointed. I didn’t get a lot of ice time and I wasn’t happy with the way I played. This year, I did a lot of the little things [well]. Coach realized it and got me out there a lot,” said Moore.

He admitted they were concerned after falling behind 3-1 through two periods “but as soon as Patrick O’Sullivan sniped the water bottle [to make it 3-2], the bench came alive and everyone started playing well again.”

He said the postgame celebration on the ice was “pretty awesome.

“To be the first U.S. team to accomplish something like that meant a lot to everyone. Everyone on the [USA Hockey] committee was on the bench crying. They were so happy for us,” said Moore.

He said he now hopes to have a productive second half for the Bears.

“There’s always a confidence boost when you come back from a big tournament like that,” said Moore. “I’m happy to be back. It’s nice seeing the guys again. Hopefully, we’ll get things going for the second half.”

Moore had eight goals and six assists in 15 games for Maine before going to the World Junior Championships.

He leads the Bears in power-play goals with five.