mid season article re Laba, i extracted some key excerpts
Sophomore center is tied for the national lead in game-winning goals with six. Tigers have bypassed last season's win total and are on pace for first winning season since 2011-12.
www.therinklive.com
"I think my favorite part is being able to play both sides of the rink," Laba said of playing center. "I like getting deep in the 'D' zone and helping the defensemen break out the puck and getting low in the zone and creating time and space for my wingers.
"I think I'm a big, two-way power forward and I can play both ends of the ice," said Laba, who is second among the team's forwards in ice time (17 minutes, 49 seconds per game). "If we need to defend, be on the penalty kill or be hard in the 'D' zone or keep it out of our net, I can do that. If we need to go on offense, I think I do a good job of creating time and space for my wingers and I can be a playmaker as well as score a goal."
Head Coach comments:
"He plays a very similar style every single night where speed is his best asset and he can get from zero to 60 (mph) in two strides," Mayotte said. "His acceleration and his quick twitch is incredible for someone who is 6-2. His athleticism stands out.
"Then he's got a mentality to him to impact and attack. He's not a slow-it-down, problem solve, make plays to the weak side kind of guy. He's a guy who wants to take you to the net himself. I think he's just learning to be more and more consistent with that, which is why you're seeing Player of the Month. He's better on faceoffs than he was last year. His puck decisions are better. His puck possession is better, which is allowing him to be in the offensive zone more where he can let his skill set flourish."
