This story originally appeared in the April 6 edition of The Polytechnic.  It is used with permission.

While many members of the men's hockey team saw their seasons end following a crushing 6-0 loss to the University of North Dakota during the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament, junior goaltender Allen York saw it as an opportunity to live a life-long dream. The sixth-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League suddenly found himself suiting up less than a week later as a member of the Springfield Falcons, Columbus' minor-league affiliate in the American Hockey League. Last Monday, York signed a two-year NHL entry level contract, ending his collegiate career at Rensselaer and making the trip down I-90 to Springfield, Mass., to join his new team.

What seemed like complete chaos just weeks ago, as the Engineers sat and waited to see if the team qualified for the national tournament, compounded as York soon found himself a star with a struggling minor league team. “It's been a crazy year,” said York following his 6-2 victory over the Connecticut Whale on Saturday night, his second-straight professional win. “It's just a weird year, but I'm just trying to ride the wave, I guess.”

York reported to Springfield early last week to begin preparation for his imminent professional career. Although he wasn't slated to start in Friday's match against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, former University of Massachusetts at Amherst goaltender and current starter of the Falcons Paul Dainton came down with a case of the flu, thrusting York into action. The young netminder made an immediate impression, leading the ailing Falcons to their first victory in over a month. The Wetaskiwin, Alberta, native soon found himself earning the team's top spot, posting some of Springfield's best numbers all year in just two games.

The Blue Jackets kept busy this past week, swooping up its draft picks with NHL contracts, including ECAC rivals Aaron Bogosian of St. Lawrence University and Denny Kearny from Yale University, but the biggest news of the week was the arrival of Cam Atkinson, a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist and former all-star from Boston College. Although most of the chatter on the streets revolved around Atkinson, fans soon found themselves clamoring over York, eager to learn more about his time at Rensselaer, and how their new “savior” might pull the Falcons out of the bottom of the barrel. While Springfield has one of the lowest attendance rates in the entire league, with most games pulling in fewer fans than a Tuesday night during midterms at the Houston Field House, Saturday saw one of the largest crowds of the season, many of whom came to see York and his new teammates skate before their imminent trip to Ohio next season. “It's nice [to have a large crowd cheering for you]. I mean we get that at RPI and you definitely hear it,” said York.

Despite the drastic change from collegiate hockey to the professional level, York found the transition easy, thanks to his time at RPI and help from his new teammates. “It was nice to have those three practices there before we had any games to get used to [the move to the AHL],” explained York. “The guys have been great off the ice, they've been helping me kind of get settled in and stuff.” Although York admits that he hasn't fully gotten used to the professional game, his stellar performances would speak otherwise. In his two professional starts, York has earned a 2.00 goals against average and a .913 save percentage—fueled by a .933 save percentage in Saturday's victory. Both those stats top any of the other goaltenders featured in Springfield's system, including former No. 1 goaltender and former Cornell University netminder David LeNeveu. York credits his strong performances to his teammates and the support they have provided on-ice. “The team [has] played great in front of me both games. They made it really easy for me, especially [Saturday]. [Connecticut] got a decent amount of shots, they were a pretty good team, but for the most part the guys in front were so good.”

York didn't notice much difference between the speed of the top collegiate players and some of the best AHL skaters—as evident from some of his awe-inspiring, split-second saves in Saturday's game—but how the players move with the puck has been an eye-opening experience. “I haven't noticed the speed, but I have noticed the puck movement and puck control,” said York. “The systems are so much crisper for both teams as well. It's a different game, and it'll take a little bit of time to get used to, but right now, [I am] just trying my best.”

The goaltender plans on focusing his professional career for now, and he doesn't intend to return to RPI to finish his classes this semester. However, he does plan on making the trek back to Troy once Springfield's season is over to continue training and preparing for a chance at the NHL in the fall. “I'm just going to focus on this for now. I didn't want any distractions when I came here, and [I] have a couple of weeks to make my mark,” said York. “And then I'll focus on training when I get back in Troy. I'm going to stay at school so I can train with the guys and stuff.”

While York's early departure may have sent many of the RPI faithful into cardiac arrest, he believes the team is in good hands, backed by sophomore goaltender and friend Bryce Merriam. “Bryce is probably one of the most underrated goaltenders in all of college hockey. He is a very talented player. I see him every day in practice. That's not going to be a question for next year at all,” York praised his counterpart for the last two seasons. “I think we're going to have a solid D-core, and I heard the incoming freshmen are pretty good, so that's just building on this year.” York explained that had the Engineers advanced to the Frozen Four, he probably wouldn't have signed this year, but he decided to take a chance with a few weeks remaining in the Falcons' season. “To be honest, it was one of those things that [Columbus] just told me right after [RPI's season] was done, and it was like, 'I just have to go do this kind of thing,'” he said. “It would have been a different situation [if Rensselaer advanced in the NCAA tournament], but [I would] probably not [have signed].”

Even though York has quickly made a name for himself among the AHL, he hasn't forgotten his roots back at Rensselaer. He already misses his teammates and the times he spent with his comrades. “We had a real close team. We had a lot of fun on and off the ice, and yeah, I'm just going to miss that the most. I miss the guys at school.”

With just four games remaining in the Falcon's schedule, expect to see York make his mark between the pipes. Although Springfield's playoff hopes have long been extinguished, York's professional career has just started to take off, with no limits to where his potential may take him.