Air Force hockey announced its major award winners for the 2009-10 season at its annual awards banquet Saturday afternoon. As is usually the case with players and coaches saying goodbye to each other and their fans, it was an emotional time.
“You see the accomplishments that this class (2010) made and you can’t help but get emotional,” coach Frank Serratore said.
Serratore praised the 2010 class, which recorded winning seasons all four years, one short of the academy record.
“The (incoming) players have to look at those banners you put up in the north end of the arena,” he told the 500-plus people on hand. “The bar has been raised. ”
Here are the awards, listed alphabetically. Biographical information provided by Air Force sports information:
Jim Bowman award (top scholar athlete): Senior forward Matt Fairchild, Ashburn. Va.; He was on dean’s list every semester and the superintendent’s list three times. He carries a 3.55 overall grade point average and has a 3.68 GPA in his major of systems engineering management. An assistant captain this season, he is also a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award. He also holds the school record with 155 career games played and tied the school record with seven career short-handed goals.
Most Improved Player:Junior forward Matt Becker, Moorhead, Minn. Becker played in just 10 career games entering this season. This year, he played in 29 games and had a career best eight points with one goal and seven assists. His work ethic and determination put his name in the lineup every night in the second half of the season.
John Matchefts Award (Freshman of the Year):Forward Kyle De Laurell, Colorado Springs. He saw action in 36 of the 37 games and was the top scoring freshman on the team with 18 points on six goals and 12 assists. He ranked fifth on the team in scoring by all players and was the 10th in Atlantic Hockey in points by a freshman.
Larry Cronk Award (most inspirational player):Fairchild.
Defensive Player of the Year:Sophomore defenseman Tim Kirby, Austin, Minn. Kirby was a first-team all-conference selection as he was one of the top scoring defensemen in the league. He led the team with a +6 and had 24 points on five goals and 19 assists. He scored three game-winning goals this season, all coming in the final three minutes of a game or in overtime.
Chuck Delich Award (most valuable player):Senior goalie Andrew Volkening, Genoa, Ill. He is only the second three-time winner of this award, joining goalie Kim Newman (1969-71). He holds nearly every goaltending record at the Air Force Academy, including season and career wins, season and career saves percentage, season and career goals-against average and season and career shutouts. A second-team all-conference selection this season, he was among the league leaders with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .918 saves percentage. He will compete in the NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge on Friday, April 9, in Detroit, Mich.
Vic Heyliger Award (dedication, character and leadership):Senior forward Jeff Hajner, Las Vegas; Hajner battled through injuries, not only this season but most of his career, and still set the school record with 150 consecutive games played. An assistant captain as a junior, he wore the “C” this season and his leadership was critical to the team’s success. The center from Las Vegas finished his career in the top 35 in career scoring with 111 points in 151 games.
