Athlete of the Week: Steve Moore `01

Entering Friday night's game against Dartmouth, the Harvard men's hockey team had produced just three goals in its last three games.

To make matters worse, the Crimson was facing the absence of its leading scorer, freshman forward Brett Nowak, who has taken a temporary absence in order to play for a national select team.

Harvard Coach Mark Mazzoleni was left wondering who, if anyone, would furnish the necessary offensive firepower.

Enter Steve Moore, the team's leading scorer in each of the past seasons.

The junior center proved to be just what the doctor ordered for the ailing Crimson offense. Coming off a scoring slump of his own that saw him tally just one assist in his previous five games, Moore collected three points in the Crimson's two contests this weekend. In the process, he helped Harvard (6-5-1 overall, 5-3-1 ECAC) claim the top spot in the league standings outright.

In Friday night's 1-1 tie with Dartmouth, Moore accounted for all of the Crimson's offense when he took a pass from senior wingman Scott Turco and buried the puck late in the third period.

On Sunday, in the team's 6-5 overtime win against Northeastern, Moore had a hand in two Crimson scores.

Facing an early 1-0 deficit against the Huskies, Moore set up his younger brother Dominic with a pass across the crease for the team's first goal. Then, in the third period, Steve struck again by recovering a loose puck in the Northeastern end and notching an unassisted goal to give the Crimson a two-goal lead.

With his three points this weekend, Moore moved past Nowak for the team lead in scoring with 11 points. He is also tied for fifth in the ECAC in assists with 8.

More important than the points themselves, though, is the fact that most of them have helped his team capitalize on man-advantage opportunities. Both of his points on Sunday came on the power play, as have five of his 11 points on the season.

It is this kind of production, which places Harvard near the top of the league in power-play efficiency, that has established Moore as an indispensable player on the special teams unit.

So long as Moore's offensive prowess continues, the Crimson has high hopes of keeping its top spot in the ECAC.