Trevor Moore was the forward of the year in college hockey’s toughest conference, proving the University of Denver sophomore not only has skill but physicality.
“There’s a lot of lion in him,” Pioneers coach Jim Montgomery said of Moore, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference scoring champion. “His style of play, people just think he’s all skill. But he’s become a tough hockey player.”
Moore, 19, led DU in scoring as a true freshman last season. But he wasn’t as physical. Now, despite being one of the smaller Pioneers forwards at 175 pounds, he’s among the team’s most chippy players, never backing down from a physical confrontation.
“It’s really started in the second half of the season,” Montgomery said of Moore’s toughness. “It’s a comfort level at this level, knowing that you’re a go-to guy and really confident in that role. He and I have talked about that a lot. If there’s a part of his game that needed to improve it’s competing with his stick in one-on-one confrontational areas. That’s where his game has taken off.”
Moore, who grew up playing roller hockey in Thousand Oaks, Calif., plays a wing on DU’s top line, centered by senior Daniel Doremus. Freshman Danton Heinen plays on the other wing to form one of the country’s most dangerous lines. It’s why DU expects to beat Boston College in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament East Regional opener in Providence, R.I., despite the Eagles playing 50 miles from their campus.
Heinen leads DU with 29 assists and 45 points. Moore has a team-high 21 goals and is second with 42 points.
Doremus, a raging bull of a center who leads DU with a plus-21 rating, sat out the previous game, a 5-1 win over NCHC regular-season champion North Dakota in last Saturday’s league tournament consolation game. Doremus and star defenseman Joey LaLeggia, who also didn’t play against UND, both practiced this week and are deemed 100 percent.
“We are very confident going into this weekend,” Moore said Wednesday in DU’s final practice at home. “We beat North Dakota, second-best team in the country, and played really well. All lines got involved, and we’re a confident group right now. We already proved we can compete with anyone.”
Jacobson expected to play. Senior wing Larkin Jacobson is probable against BC. He suffered wrist and hand lacerations from a skate blade against North Dakota but began practicing Wednesday with stitches in both wounds. Montgomery said Jacobson should be stitch-free by Saturday and ready to play.
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
