Air Force wing Kruse more consistent, more productive

John Kruse possessed a load of talent, strong hands and top-notch instincts. “But he was a little sleepy,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said, “and he didn’t show up all the time.”

For a while, much earlier in his career, the negatives outweighed the positives, and Kruse developed a reputation as an underachieving player. Not anymore. Now, he’s all good.

The Air Force junior right wing has elevated his production to another level, with a point in 12 of the past 17 outings in helping the Falcons to a six-game unbeaten streak for first place in the Atlantic Hockey Association heading into a weekend series at Niagara.

Skating on the top line alongside center Chad Demers and left wing Kyle De Laurell puts Kruse on the ice for extended stretches, and he has benefited by marking 11 goals and 12 assists, including two points last weekend in a home sweep of the Rochester Institute of Technology. His 11 goals, in 27 games, equal his count from last season, when he played 37 games, as well as his total from a 34-game North American Hockey League stint.

With 31 points from De Laurell and 19 from Demers, the top group is “really starting to gel here,” Kruse said, calling De Laurell “one of the best players in the league. And a lot of guys focus on him, which helps open up me and Demers. We all kind of support each other when we work down low. There’s good support, and it makes it a lot easier.”

Kruse credited Air Force assistant Mike Corbett, a larger contributor in practice the past month, for making him more effective by placing an emphasis on the “little things every day,” he said. “You kind of get into a groove in your daily routine, and you stick to that. … Everything has been seeming to go the right way. I’m just trying to stay consistent.”

Serratore carries no criticism of Kruse, noting that “he’s showing up every night, and his compete level is high. When his compete level is high, when he’s matching the intensity level of the opponent, that enables his skill and his hockey sense to be the difference.”

Over the years, Serratore told Kruse “that people always question my work ethic,” Kruse said. “When people say that kind of stuff about you, it kind of gives you that extra edge to want to prove them wrong.” He added that he has grasped “more about what it really takes to work hard and succeed. … You just want to keep going and keep improving.”

Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazette.com. Facebook: Brian Gomez. Twitter: @gazettehockey. Google+: Brian Gomez.