By: John Altavilla – Contact Reporter
Just recently, the bus carrying the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms was scooting south on I-95 when one of its passengers suddenly felt himself getting nostalgic.
Phantoms rookie goaltender Alex Lyon saw New Haven through his window and couldn’t help but feel like he was almost home.
“I get asked a little about going to Yale,” Lyon said. “We were driving through New Haven last week on the way to Bridgeport and I got a little sentimental. I obviously miss it, and I miss my friends.”
Just last season, Lyon was starring in goal for the Bulldogs, leading the nation in goals-against average (1.64), tied for second in save percentage (.936) and helping Yale to the NCAA East Regional semifinals.
After his junior season, he had a choice to stay in school or sign with one of the multiple NHL organizations that were courting him. While many Yale underclassmen have been offered NHL deals, only three had left early, none during coach Keith Allain’s 10-year tenure.
Chris Higgins, a first-round pick of Montreal, signed after his sophomore season in 2003. Joe Callahan left before his senior year to sign with Phoenix in 2004. And David Meckler signed with Los Angeles after his freshman season in 2006.
Lyon, who was born in Minnesota, decided to make it a fourth, signing with the Philadelphia Flyers, knowing goalies Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth are becoming unrestricted free agents in July.
“He has worked extremely hard for this opportunity,” Allain said in a statement. “The Flyers get a great goaltender and an outstanding young man. Alex’s contributions to the Yale hockey program go way beyond the amazing statistics he put up. We will all be following his future development with great interest. I may even have to become a Flyers fan.”
Now Lyon is in Lehigh Valley, sharing time in goal with Anthony Stolarz.
“People always ask how you are going to transition to the new league,” Lyon said. “Well, now you don’t have to balance a social life and school work anymore. It’s a little bit easy in that aspect. But it’s also pressure filled in many ways.
“You dominate at the high school level and move up. And then it was juniors, where I also felt dominant. And then three years of college and I felt it again. And then you realize it’s time to move on again. I expected that kind of path to lead here. You are playing against the best goalies in the league and you realize even many of the best goalies in the NHL spent time in the AHL. So it’s a necessary component to success. There is a learning curve, but I feel I am on a good path.”
Lyon had a productive training camp with the Flyers before being assigned to the NHL. He played particularly well in the first appearance of his pro career on Sept. 26 at New Jersey, a Flyers’ 2-0 split-squad exhibition loss to Devils. Lyon stopped 28 of 29 shots, including two breakaways by Beau Bennett.
“Solid performance from start to finish,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of Lyon that night. “Great demeanor and presence, and just a real steady performance all the way through.”
Lyon said his confidence has been high all season.
“It’s different, for sure,” Lyon said. “We didn’t have any five-day road trips at Yale. So it’s a little different in that way. But I never had doubts. I’ve had a couple of rough outings to start [two games, 4.97 goals-against average], but I don’t doubt my game at all.
“I’m confident. I knew there would be an adjustment period and right now I am doing everything I can to be the man and start as much as I can, to make an impression with this team and the AHL and then, hopefully some day, in the big league.”
Lyon quickly noticed how different the challenge of stopping shots is in the AHL as compared to college.
“A quality opportunity in college turns into a routine one at the professional level,” Lyon said. “The guys are better and the chances are better here. It’s a completely different lifestyle, a completely different game.
“In college, you get four practice days and then two games on the weekends, so you are constantly building up to the weekend. At the professional level, you just have stay at a constant medium, not get too high or too low. That’s a big adjustment.”
As he continues to try to improve his game in the AHL, Lyon will still be thinking about his former team as it tries to power its way through an ECAC season without him.
“It’s human to feel that way,” Lyon said. “I really could not be happier for Patrick Spano, who is the starting goalie now [at Yale]. We came in at the same time and I edged him out at the beginning, but we voted him the hardest working player on our team twice. He’s a tough goalie who has more respect than anyone in the locker room. I couldn’t be rooting harder for anyone to succeed. He’s such a good guy.”
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