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St. Cloud State University
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The Moreland, the merrier
By Drew Herron
Published:
Thursday, October 17, 2002
Media Credit: Leslie Andres
SCSU goaltender Jake Moreland has stepped into the No. 1 slot between the pipes for the Huskies. He had a career high 40 saves in Friday�s 2-1 victory over Ferris State.
Jake Moreland's senior season is finally here.
Two seasons as a backup and one season of a platoon are behind him, and now is the time for Moreland to shine. But for Moreland, the long wait proved that patience is a virtue.
"I had to sit there and watch Scott Meyer for two seasons, and that really sparked a flame in me," Moreland said. "I had never been a backup in my life. I had to deal with that, and it gave me an edge to do the best I can and work hard in the off-season. This year it's like I finally get a chance to leave my mark."
A concussion suffered against Minnesota on Nov. 30 led to an injury-plagued 2001-2002 season in which Moreland saw less-and-less time between the pipes.
Posting a solid 2.43 GAA, with 361 saves, and a .916 save percentage proved to be Moreland's best season to date. Even after his recovery it was difficult to take time away from Dean Weasler, whose impressive play had separated him as the number one goalie.
Now that Weasler is gone, it would appear that Moreland will get the vast majority of starts in the net, but that won't make him complacent.
"It's still a competition this year. If you get the number one starting job, you still need to keep it. You can't relax at all," said Moreland. "That's the way I look at it. Jason Montgomery is still a really, really good goalie, and he's always going to be giving me competition."
Moreland was impressive in his first start of the season, a 2-1 victory at Ferris State. He faced 41 shots and recorded a career-high 40 saves. With the current depletion of the Husky defensive unit, it looks like Moreland's game will have to be taken to the next level.
"It's going to make the beginning of the year huge for me," Moreland said. If I'm able to get that many shots a night and still win a few games and when we do get our full defensive core back, it'll make it a little easier to just play the games and have fun out there."
Moreland grew up in Grand Forks, N.D. and started playing hockey at the age of three. He played forward up until the age of 13, which is when he became enamored with being a goalie. His father used to play the position which also caught his interest.
"One day we just didn't have enough goalies," said Moreland. "So I jumped in and kept playing."
He played for Grand Forks Central High School graduating in 1997. Moreland accumulated three hockey letters, three All-State selections and three All-City first teams. He was named the team MVP and was a Mr. Hockey finalist. He still holds the North Dakota high school records for most saves (741) and best save percentage (92.9 percent) for a career.
Moreland didn't receive any scholarship offers out of high school and was selected by Sioux City in the USHL draft. This would be the springboard to his next step: SCSU.
"They just came down to Sioux City to watch me in a few games. (Then Assistant Coach Brett Peterson) came down and talked to me one afternoon, and offered me my scholarship," Moreland said. "Just from hanging out at UND all the time, I knew all the teams in the WCHA, and which ones I thought would be really cool to play at. I thought St. Cloud had a high prestige, so I signed a deal as soon as they started talking to me."
Growing up in Grand Forks, Moreland always wanted to wear a Sioux jersey as a kid, but things change. Even when UND began recruiting him in the USHL, Moreland's interests were elsewhere.
"When I was younger, I thought I'd play there. It's kind of a North Dakota kids dream, but then you realize that other things are better," Moreland said. "I figured that St. Cloud was on more of an upswing than North Dakota, and I liked the coaching staff and the players better than at UND."
After his USHL career was over, Moreland arrived at SCSU eager to display his potential, but he soon learned he would have to wait his turn. Watching Meyer proved to be beneficial.
"I learned a lot of patience, and more of a work ethic," Moreland said. "Normally things just used to come to me, and now when I made my step from juniors to college, I actually had to work more at stuff to gain anything."
The Huskies are facing an uphill climb with the ineligibles and injuries, but Moreland is confident that things will come together in time for the second half of the season.
"Right now we have to overcome a lot," said Moreland. "I just want to have a good season myself and see if our team can't win something again."
