“There’s nothing more fun than the playoffs,” Moore said. “The more fun I have, the better I play, and I was just having fun out there.”
“That’s why people play the game,” Steve said. “The most important thing is to have fun, and everything else falls into place when you keep your priorities straight.”
Going Out With a Bang
After falling to Maine by the narrowest of margins, 4-3 in overtime, the Crimson returns this season with an ECAC championship ring and an NCAA experience to build on. Moore himself is excited for greater freedom on the ice and playing with a more free-form style than last year.
“This year [Mazzoleni] has more confidence in us,” Moore said. “He’s got a more talented group of players that he feels he can allow more liberty with.”
Mazzoleni concurred, citing the players’ familiarity with each other.
“We have a great sense of intuition in Brett Nowak and Dominic Moore, two forwards that will have been with us for four years,” Mazzoleni said. “And you do want to really play to certain people’s strengths.”
Included in Moore’s strengths are incredible stick handling and agility, qualities that make him a “master of deception,” said older brother Mark.
Dominic’s role models include Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, whom he cites for his “quiet leadership.” In fact, leading by example is a common trait among the Moore brothers. Dominic’s unanimous selection to the Harvard captaincy comes two years on the heels of his brother Steve’s.
“I think [Dominic] is someone who has paid close attention to the captains he’s played under in the past, both at Harvard and before,” Steve said. “He’s somebody who looks for leadership in other players and learns those types of attributes.”
“[Steve] is the best captain I’ve ever played for,” Dominic said. “I learned a lot from him, and hopefully I can apply some of what he’s taught me this year as I take that position.”
Being captain brings added pressure, but Moore dismisses the idea that it will interfere with his game. Both Mazzoleni and Moore agree that the nature of the team will lift some of the leadership load off of his shoulders.
“We have a very strong collective team leadership,” Mazzoleni said. “Dominic’s not going to [bear this burden] all by himself.”
That collective effort should put Harvard in the NCAA title hunt in Moore’s final season.
“Our feeling is that if we play our best and have fun,” Moore said, “we’ll be in the Frozen Four this year.”
And, most important, he’ll be in the moment.
—Staff writer Brenda E. Lee can be reached at belee@fas.harvard.edu.