After going 3-1-1 for the ECHL's Evansville Icemen, Allen York is back in the AHL with the Springfield Falcons.
Allen York is healthy and has joined the Springfield Falcons.
SPRINGFIELD – The development of second-year pro goaltender Allen York is finally under way.
York got his first start for the Springfield Falcons this season against the St. John’s IceCaps Saturday night at the MassMutual Center.
Through no fault of his own, York has bounced around among four teams during his first two professional seasons. He’s played for the Falcons and the Columbus Blue Jackets in addition to the ECHL’s Chicago Express and Evansville Icemen.
He’s right where he belongs, in the American Hockey League, just like many other 23-year-olds.
Last season, York was one of the franchise-record eight goaltenders employed by the Falcons. Injuries and call-ups resulted in an unstable goalie situation for both the Falcons and their NHL partner, the Blue Jackets.
Curtis Sanford, who was signed to be Springfield’s No. 1 goalie and Columbus’ No. 3 or call-up goalie, never played a game for the Falcons. But Mark Dekanich, who was St. John’s backup on Saturday did, and the results were not good.
Dekanich was supposed to be the Blue Jackets’ No. 2 goalie, but his season was ruined by injuries. That’s why York was forced to spend a good part of the season backing up Columbus starter Steve Mason.
That was not ideal for York’s development, though he did go 3-2 with a 2.30 goals-against average in limited action.
This season, York started on the disabled list with a groin injury. When he was cleared to play, he was sent to Evansville to get some much-needed playing time in the ECHL before joining the Falcons.
York went 3-1-1 with a 2.72 GAA before he was recalled by the Falcons. Former University of Massachusetts goalie Paul Dainton was sent to Evansville to make room for him.
Columbus remains high on Dainton. But York, who played three seasons at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., is a top prospect, and the Blue Jackets want to see what he can do at the AHL level.
He’s behind No. 1 Curtis McElhinney, who has been among the AHL’s best goalies. But with so many three-game weekends, the Falcons will need both.
The Falcons saw their seven-game road points streak and four-game road win streak come to an end Friday night in Providence as Springfield’s comeback bid fell short to the Bruins, 6-3. Tomas Kubalik, Nick Drazenovic, and Cam Atkinson scored third-period goals for the Falcons, but Springfield could not overcome a three-goal deficit.
Springfield is 3-0-0-0 against St. John’s this season and 6-1-0-0 all-time vs. the IceCaps, including a 3-0-0-0 mark at the MassMutual Center. The Falcons remained in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with the loss, three points behind the Syracuse Crunch. Springfield led the Northeast Division by six points over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers entering Saturday’s action.
The Falcons were bidding to tie their longest road points streak and longest away winning streak in franchise history, but could not equal those marks Friday. Springfield entered the contest attempting to take a point for an eighth straight road game for just the third time in franchise history and trying to register a fifth consecutive away win for the second time in the club’s 19 years.
The Falcons also were unable to win their fourth straight overall game, falling in their 12th attempt at a four-game winning streak since last accomplishing the feat from Dec. 23 to 30, 2006.
Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist on Friday night to extend his point streak to six games (6 goals, 5 assists) and increased his goal streak to five games. Atkinson leads the Falcons with 14 goals and 27 points, putting the second-year pro third in the league in each category. He is alone in ninth in Falcons history with 46 goals in a Springfield sweater.
FALCON FABLES: John Moore was +2 in Friday’s loss and is tied for third in the league with a Falcons-best +15 rating. ... Friday’s game marked the first time the Falcons allowed a shorthanded goal, an unassisted goal, an empty-net goal, and a hat trick this season. Lane MacDermid’s shorthanded goal was the first allowed by Springfield since Mar. 18, 2012, also in Providence (Trent Whitfield). The Falcons had been one of two teams entering Friday’s action which had not given up a shorthanded goal, along with the Chicago Wolves. The hat trick was the first against the Falcons since Apr. 7, 2012 when Eric O’Dell scored three times for St. John’s. ... A moment of silence was observed in memory of the shooting victims in Newtown, Conn. ... Dalton Prout got into a spirited fight with Ryan Schnell in the first period. The combatants both landed a series of punches before the fight was broken up.