Prospect Profile - Alex Lyon
ALLENTOWN - Following a 27-win rookie season in the American Hockey League (AHL), expectations were high for goaltender Alex Lyon entering his second year of professional hockey in an organization where fans have been waiting for what seems like forever for the management group to find their goalie of the future.
After his first two months of the 2017-18, Lyon was just hoping to avoid the sophomore slump.
"I think I can safely say that's the most adversity I've faced in my hockey career, this last month," Lyon said after last Friday's 7-2 win over Hershey. "It feels good to come out of it a little bit."
Lyon's slow start to the season was an accumulation of several things according to Phantoms' head coach Scott Gordon - a former goalie himself. A young, and now injury depleted defense core added to Lyon's early-season struggles.
"It doesn't just fall on Alex," Gordon said. "Our blatant mistakes that have happened just seem to be in the back of the net. Then he's fighting that - the stuff that he can't control. Then if it's one or two goals a game that he probably looks at himself and says 'I should've had that'. It's just makes it hard."
After being pulled from his starts just three times all of last season, Lyon had already taken an early exit in three of his first 12 starts in 2017-18.
"It's hard to say," Lyon replied when asked what he attributed his early-season woes to. "I think that's just part of the game to be honest. You see Carey Price having a tough time, you see some of the best goalies having a tough time. Sometimes people just go through a little adversity. I think how you come out of it on the other side is the most important thing, so I'm just trying to stay steady and even and put a quality product on the ice."
Over the past week or so, it appears that Lyon is on the other end of the adversity he's faced in the first quarter of the season.
"I feel like my last three or four [games] have been really strong," Lyon said when he caught up with Inside AHL Hockey last Friday night. "I thought a played a real quality game against Binghamton there the other night, but it just wasn't our falling our way."
If one thing's for sure, both Lyon and Gordon have talked at length about the second-year pro's adversity. Both referenced the same star NHL goaltender when asked about the mental aspect of a goaltender facing adversity.
"Eventually it corrects itself," Gordon explained, adding, "I don't think there's been too many goalies that have had a full down year. Every goalie has their struggles. Carey Price has had his at the beginning of the year, and now he's playing great. It'll turn for Alex and I think you're starting see the signs that it's going to."
"I've faced adversity before and I'm sure I will face it again," Lyon said. "There's nothing to panic about. I think the Phantoms are still in a great spot right within striking distance. I have to focus on the positives, and just keep chugging along. All I can do is worry about my end, and what I'm doing on the ice day to day. It's always nice to get the goal support, but I'm just trying to do my job for them."
Of course, his first-ever NHL recall prior to Lehigh Valley's game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Wednesday will certainly help ease the young goaltender's mind about his rough start to this season. Perhaps a whole new set of nerves will set in if and when he gets a chance at making his NHL debut while MIchal Neuvirth is out with injury. Early reports via Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer state that Flyers GM Ron Hextall expects Neuvirth to miss one to two weeks.
