Air Force welcomes eight newcomers

USAFA, Colo. - The Air Force hockey team is proud to announce the eight members of the Class of 2013. The Falcons welcome two defensemen, five forwards and one goaltender, as announced today by head coach Frank Serratore.

“I believe this to be a very solid freshman class,” Serratore said. “We are not expecting them to lead us to the promised land, but we definitely need them to fill the voids in our lineup.”

Air Force is coming off its third consecutive Atlantic Hockey Association championship, three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament and its first ever trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. Air Force opens practice on Oct. 3 and the season begins Monday, Oct. 5 with an exhibition game vs. the University of Calgary at the Cadet Ice Arena.

4 Eric Artman, 5-9, 170, D, East Lansing, Mich./Topeka Roadrunners (NAHL)
The Topeka Roadrunners’ top scoring defenseman with 36 points (5-31-36) in 58 games … second in the NAHL in points by a defenseman … +18 led the team and was fourth in the league … one of only three Roadrunners to play in all 58 games … NAHL South Player of the Week on Feb. 2 as he scored two goals in a sweep of St. Louis … Helped lead Topeka into the NAHL playoffs and advance to the second round … Spent the 2007-08 season in Topeka and had 29 points (6-23-29) in 56 games … +19 was seventh on the team … selected to the all-South Division Team.

35 David Bosner, 6-0, 175, G, Chesterfield, Mo./Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
Played in 33 games for the Bismarck Bobcats and had a 24-7-1 record … second in NAHL with 1.78 GAA and .933 saves percentage … 24 wins were the second most in the league … six shutouts were the second most in the league … Twice named the NAHL Goalie of the Week, once on Sept. 29, 2008 when he stopped 67 of 69 shots in a two-game sweep of Alexandria and again on March 9, 2009 as he stopped 53 of 57 shots in a two-game sweep over Owatonna … helped lead team to NAHL Robertson Cup Round Robin finals … had a 5-2 record in the playoffs … one of five finalists for the NAHL Player of the Year award and was the goalie on the all-Central Division Team.

14 Clinton Bourbonais, 5-11, 180, F, Whitmore Lake, Mich./St. Louis Bandits (NAHL)
Led the St. Louis Bandits and was 17th in the league with 53 points (20-33-53) … fourth on the team and 17th in the league with a +21 … eighth in the NAHL with nine power-play goals, sixth in league with two short-handed goals and 10th in the league with five game-winners … scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lead St. Louis to 3-2 win over Wenatchee to win the Robertson Cup championship in the NAHL … seven points (4-3-7) in 11 playoff games.

19 Stephen Carew, 5-10, 175, F, Eden Prairie, Minn./Owatonna Express (NAHL)
Led the Owatonna Express and was 15th in the league with 54 points (28-26-54) … eighth in the league with 28 goals … NAHL Central Player of the Week on Jan. 12 as he scored four goals in a pair of Express wins … helped lead the team to the NAHL second round of the playoffs … seven points (2-5-7) in the playoffs led the team.

18 Kyle De Laurell, 6-1, 180, F, Mission Viejo, Calif./Wichita Falls Wildcats (NAHL)
Led the Wichita Falls Wildcats in points per game at 1.19 … third on the team with 37 points (10-27-37) in 31 games, despite missing the second half of the season with a shoulder injury … helped lead the team to the NAHL playoffs … NAHL South Player of the Week, Sept. 23, when he led all scorers at the NAHL Showcase with three goals and six assists as the Wildcats tallied a perfect 4-0 record … scored one game-winner and assisted on the other three at the Showcase … played 16 games with the Wildcats in 2007-08.

11 Dan Durham, 5-11, 175, F, Chicago, Ill./North Iowa Outlaws (NAHL)
Played in 20 games for the Fargo Force of the USHL and had seven points (2-5-7) and was a +7 … traded to the North Iowa Outlaws late in the season and played 18 games for Outlaws with 17 points (7-10-17) … helped lead the team to the NAHL Robertson Cup Round Robin finals.

27 John Kruse, 6-0, 180, F, Eden Prairie, Minn./Owatonna Express (NAHL)
Played 34 games for the Owatonna Express and had 33 points (11-22-33) … +13 was second on the team while his five power-play goals were third … helped lead the team to the NAHL second round of the playoffs … led his team with five playoff goals and was second on the team with six playoff points in nine games.

24 Mike Walsh, 5-10, 190, D, Vernon Hills, Ill./Chicago Steel (USHL)
Played 24 games for the Chicago Steel of the USHL and had 10 points (7-3-10) … missed the second half of the season due to a shoulder injury … also played 60 games for the Steel in 2007-08 (3-8-11) and 57 games in 2006-07 (4-8-12).