Thanksgiving night for most of us means relaxing and allowing a massive meal to digest while visiting with family and friends.

For former Air Force goaltender Billy Christopoulos, it meant packing a duffle bag, collecting his gear and preparing to fly to Reading, Pa.

The affable “Billy the Greek” – as Falcons coach Frank Serratore liked to refer to the backbone of his 2017-18 and ”18-19 squads – had just been traded to the Toledo Walleye of the East Coast Hockey League. It was the latest step in a journey that saw him go from possibly playing his final competitive hockey game in March 2019 to having a chance at playing for Team USA in the 2022 Olympic Games.

“When I got the call on Thanksgiving, I thought, ‘We’ll see how long this goes,’ ” Christopoulos said. “It was just my gear, a duffle bag of clothes and a suit.”

It’s fair to say things worked out with the trade from the South Carolina Stingrays, where he was a No. 3 goalie, to the Walleye. On April 2, the ECHL selected Christopoulos to its All-Rookie Team. And it’s no wonder. His .932 save percentage was the league’s best, his 24 wins were the most by a rookie and third most in the league, and his 2.29 goals-against average was sixth overall.

It ain’t over ’til …

That Christopoulos, who was a first-team Atlantic Hockey selection in 2019, was in this position at all is due to his admittance into the World Class Athlete Program, which is run in conjunction with various sports governing bodies across the U.S., in this case USA Hockey.

And that was no sure thing.

“I was about two weeks away from beginning my assignment (as an acquisitions officer) at Hanscom (AFB in Massachusetts) when I got the notice,” he said.

That came in in late July and meant Christopoulos could pursue playing professionally in hopes of being able to represent the United States and the Air Force at the 2022 Games.

The seeds for playing for Uncle Sam were planted during a 2018 preseason conversation with Serratore and assistant coaches Joe Doyle and Andy Berg.

“We kept it on the back burner during the season and revisited it after the season at my exit meeting,” Christopoulos recalled. “Joe took the reins and made all kinds of calls up the chain. He did an enormous amount of work on my behalf, just pushing through every time paperwork would get stuck.”

Elated at the news of his acceptance into the WCAP, Christopoulos did have one reservation.

“I had to tell (fellow USAFA Class of 2019 graduates and former Falcons teammates) Matt Serratore and Matt Koch I couldn’t room with them now,” he said.

Goalie for hire

Christopoulos had little time to lose in trying to find a team to play for. The Sting Rays, close to his family home in Raleigh, N.C., were a logical choice even though they already had a four-pad stack in their goalie room.

“A lot of teams were all set with their roster, but South Carolina liked me,” he said. “They told me they had two goalies already but they wanted me to compete.

“I was disappointed to not be a No. 1 or No. 2, but it was nice to be close to home and have that chance to compete.”

The nature of the ECHL, which rides a seemingly endless wave of transactions at times, meant Christopoulos had to be ready to play, or “on call” as he said. From his signing in August until late November he started just once, but stopped 34 of 36 shots in a victory. He’d made enough of an impression that South Carolina’s front office wanted to find him a spot in the league.

“Toledo had one goalie called up and another on the IR so they needed someone to come in and carry the workload,” said Christopoulos, who caught an 8 a.m. flight from Raleigh on the day after Thanksgiving and played in Reading that night.

It was the start of a magical run.

“That first month I played 15 of the next 16 or 17 games,” he said. “I got into a rhythm, which is huge for a goalie. When you know you’re the guy, it helps you play with confidence.”

He was confident enough to bring more clothes back with him over the Christmas break.

“The way things were going I realized this could be a good spot for the rest of the year.”

Fancy meeting you here

Later in the season, Air Force’s goalie from a season ago ended up sharing time with Denver’s goalie from a season ago, Filip Larsson, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings after helping the Pioneers to the Frozen Four during his freshman season and pin balled between the AHL and the ECHL in the season’s second half.

“Lars and I became good buddies,” Christopoulos said. “I’ve always sought to have good relationships with my fellow goalies, and it was fun to learn about his time at DU, even though he was only there one year.

“I was always aware of what the other goalies in Colorado were doing. It was cool to share that bond.”

He also shares a close bond with former Falcons goalie Shane Starrett, who signed with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in 2017, opening the door for his classmate to take over Air Force’s starting job. Starrett has split the past three seasons between the American Hockey League and the ECHL.

What’s next

The plan is for Christopoulos to resume playing pro hockey whenever the next season begins. (The ECHL cancelled its season late last month after the coronavirus outbreak hit the U.S.) He is subject to quarterly progress reports with the Air Force and USA Hockey.

“As long as I can stay competitive and continue to develop I can remain in it,” he said. “It’s an awesome program. Like everything else in the Air Force, it’s super well run.”

In addition to the Olympics, there is a chance Christopoulos could represent Team USA at other international competitions. If things stop moving in that direction, then he will begin his Air Force assignment.

“Hopefully I can last long enough (to try out for the 2022 Olympic team,” he said. “It’s been a cool experience either way, and I can’t thank the Air Force coaches, especially Joe, for helping me get to this point.”

©First Line Editorial 2020