Wroclaw Times - Eagles beats the Legion

[Greg_Di 981]

Eagles with the Win

Eagles makes the game winning save in the shootout

 

 

 

When you talk to hockey players, you often hear them mention the “little things” that are part of their games, and it becomes apparent very quickly that those little things will eventually add up to something much bigger.

 

For Wolves backup goalie, Greg Eagles, one of those little things has turned out to be a pretty big thing during the last game where he earned a 3-2 shootout win over the league leading Toronto Legion.

 

Eagles played a great game stopping 27 shots out of 29 and stopped Veran Dragomir in the shootout to get his team the much needed win. So far this season Eagles has put up pretty decent numbers as a rookie backup. Eagles currently sits at a 2-4 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.85 GAA.

“ I think as a rookie I have been playing well and giving my team a chance to win every time I start. This last game was great for me and a confidence booster as we faced the top team in the league” Said Eagles “ I am happy that the GM showed some faith in me and trusted me against such a good team, I mean they have only lost 4 regular games and 3 OT games so for me, that is a huge win and will probably be the highlight of my season”

 

Now let’s get back to that little thing that’s really a big thing. Starting in training camp with Vancouver, their Goalie coach encouraged Eagles to improve his positioning, moving up in his crease in a more aggressive position to challenge shooters, cutting down the angle, giving them less net to shoot at.
 

“I felt depth in his net was an area that he really needed to work on, Greg is  not a big guy, so his positioning is crucial” said the goalie coach. “So we made some slight adjustments there when he got to Vancouver and you can see the results for yourself. His positioning has greatly improved”

 

When speaking with Eagles he indicated that he is getting used to the change and the new positioning style.

 

“It was little bit new to me, but we’ve been working on it since training camp, so I’m starting to feel pretty comfortable with it. It will still take time to be 100% with it but games like the game vs Toronto are showing me that it is working” Eagles Said.

 

Wolves goalie coach also indicated that Greg’s attitude has also been a significant factor in his early success with his new team.

 

“It’s up to the goalie to be able to adjust to new training, new positions, new regiments” said Wolves goalie coach. “My philosophy for anyone who’s come in here has been if you do it your way and start losing us hockey games, you’ll do it my way going forward. But as far as Greg goes, from day one he was following my plan, following and improving on everything I say, he’s very receptive, very coachable”

 

If Eagles can continue training at his current pace and playing well when called upon, there will be no surprises when he becomes a future star goaltender in the league. For now, his only concern is helping the Wolves into the playoffs.