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Former Rampage Kyle De Laurell having a breakout season for Air Force hockey.

By FRANK SCHWAB - THE GAZETTE, 12/23/11, 1:45AM MST

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De Laurell having a breakout season for Air Force hockey

 
December 22, 2011 3:27 PM
 
FRANK SCHWAB
THE GAZETTE

Kyle De Laurell calls his operating space on the ice the “quiet places.”

There’s a trick to finding those areas, and the Air Force junior forward has mastered it. He has become a dangerous goal scorer, with 11 goals this year. That’s more than 20 percent of the Falcons’ goal total this season.

Many of those scores have come from one of the quiet places on the ice.

“Just the places where the defenseman doesn’t see where I’m at,” De Laurell said. “Where I can slide in unnoticed and get a pass from my teammates and score.”

De Laurell had natural goal-scoring instincts, which Air Force saw when it recruited him. But he also had to learn how to become an effective scorer on the college level. Luckily, he played on the same line as Jacques Lamoureux last season.

Lamoureux was one of the best scorers in college hockey, with 24 goals last year. While De Laurell was trying to set him up, he was also paying attention, taking mental notes of the tricks that made Lamoureux so good.

“I figured out what places he’d usually be in,” De Laurell said.

Early in the season, it has all clicked. This is what Air Force coach Frank Serratore saw on De Laurell’s best days when he was recruiting him.

De Laurell moved to Colorado to play midget hockey with the Colorado Rampage – he also went to Pine Creek High School - and happened to play with Serratore’s sons. Serratore said it was probably best that De Laurell played with his sons, because the Air Force coach saw him play a lot and didn’t rely on his first impression. Serratore initially had his eye on forward J.J. Crew, who is now at Western Michigan, and De Laurell didn’t stand out immediately. De Laurell wasn’t a fantastic skater and disappeared for stretches. But when De Laurell was on, he was dominant, and Serratore began believing he could be a fantastic scorer for the Falcons.

“He’s the kind of kid, the more you saw him, the more you loved him,” Serratore said.

Serratore gave credit to De Laurell’s parents for not rushing him through the hockey ranks. He took time to develop at the midget level and at juniors, and the same happened in college. De Laurell was a good player at Air Force his first two years, and a breakout player as a junior.

“Once he gets familiarity with a level he seems to rise up to that level and dominate,” Serratore said.

De Laurell made strides in his conditioning and strength since he has been at Air Force, becoming a better athlete, which has helped him avoid the inconsistency that was a part of his game when he was younger. He has also improved his overall game, to the point where Serratore will use him in late game defensive situations because he trusts him on the ice.

Still, goal scoring that is what De Laurell is known for. He leads the Atlantic Hockey Association in goals and points. Most athletes won’t admit to being surprised by their own breakout performance, but De Laurell is honest.

“Actually, I am,” De Laurell said. “I knew with Lamoureux leaving we needed to make up some goals. To see myself producing a good amount of goals is surprising, but it’s exciting as well.”

http://www.gazette.com/articles/laurell-130616-kyle-force.html