After two seasons of playing with damaged knees, and after laboring through last year with a cumbersome brace that protected his rehabilitated left knee, Johns Hopkins senior faceoff specialist Hunter Moreland is thrilled to be free — from the pain and from that necessary safety contraption.
It is no surprise that Moreland, who has thrived as a FOGO throughout his time at Homewood, is on a roll in the middle of his final year at Hopkins. And it’s no coincidence that the sixth-ranked Blue Jays are riding a five-game winning streak with an offense averaging an impressive 15.2 goals during that run.
The Blue Jays (6-2) are a confident team heading into Big Ten conference play at Rutgers on Sunday night, in part because their igniter is feeding the offense with excellent consistency.
Moreland, who ranks sixth in Division I in faceoff win percentage (65.8), has sparked the Hopkins faceoff unit that has secured 84 of 120 draws — 70 percent — during the winning streak. He currently resides in sixth place in school history in faceoff attempts and wins.
“I’ve been unlucky the past two years, but now I’m the healthiest I’ve been since I’ve been in college,” said Moreland, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound product of Boys’ Latin in Baltimore.
“It feels great not having to compensate because of the injuries or the discomfort the brace causes. The brace cuts off your [range of] motion and takes away your explosiveness,” he added. “I’m back and able to make the plays again to help our unit and get the ball to our offense. It’s all a comfort thing.”
“People have no idea how taxing it is to get into that [faceoff] position 20 to 25 times per game over the course of a season — even if you’re healthy. It takes quite a toll on the body,” Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said. “[Moreland] has been so banged up for the last two years. The way he’s performed shows how physically tough he is. But he’s become so mentally tough through it all.”
Moreland, who graduated from Boys’ Latin as a team captain and led the team to an 18-0 record that produced the MIAA-A title and the top ranking nationally, capped an outstanding high school run by winning 75 percent of his draws as a senior.
His fortunes turned early on at Hopkins. As a freshman, Moreland suffered the first of two torn posterior cruciate ligaments to different knees. Neither ailment required surgery. Both required disciplined rehabilitation.
During the Blue Jays’ one-goal loss to Maryland in the NCAA semifinals in 2015, Moreland felt a tweak in his right knee while running off the field after taking a hard check on the leg. He played through the discomfort that day, but soon learned his PCL was torn.
He spent the summer and fall wearing the brace, and went on to team up with former teammate Craig Madarasz as the Blue Jays’ faceoff tandem in 2016. Moreland won 74 of 125 (59.2 percent) faceoffs that season.
Shortly before the start of his junior season in 2017, Moreland went down with an injured left knee in practice. He missed the first six games, then returned to inject the Blue Jays offense immediately.
A week after he made his first appearance in 2017 by winning eight of 12 draws in an 8-7 overtime loss to Syracuse, Moreland helped Hopkins assemble a huge comeback against Virginia that ended with an 18-17 victory. Moreland went 15-for-29 that day. With that brace limiting him all spring, he still won 102 of 188 (54.3 percent) draws.
With Moreland’s influence this year, Hopkins has righted itself since starting out 1-2 with back-to-back losses to Loyola and North Carolina. In consecutive routs over Princeton, Syracuse, UMBC and Delaware, Moreland and his wings secured 69 of 91 (75.8 percent) faceoffs.
Last week’s 15-13 victory at Virginia was nearly a carbon copy of last year’s win against UVA — with one exception. Moreland struggled badly against UVA’s Justin Schwenk in the first half, during which freshman Kyle Prouty replaced Moreland for three draws (0-for-3). The Blue Jays lost nine of 13 draws early, as Virginia took a 9-2 lead into halftime.
The second half was a different story for the Blue Jays. Moreland rebounded to win 11 of 19 draws, while the Blue Jays outhustled, outworked and outscored the Cavaliers in the second half 13-4.
“Our experience was huge in that game,” said Moreland, who singled out faceoff wings such as seniors Tal Bruno and Thomas Guida and sophomore Matt Hubler. “Knowing I can be successful and carrying that confidence from game to game is important. So is lacking a short-term memory. Every faceoff is like a new breath.”