Eagles gets his cup

[Greg_Di 1,030]

 

 

Greg Eagles rise from a backup goalie being part of a cup win to a  Cup-winning starting goaltender was fueled by passion and dedication.

 

Eagles has been so good for the Reign that fans of the long cup drought franchise might never let him leave until his retirement. Drafted 19^th overall and as a backup for his first season with the Vancouver Wolves, Eagles rise to starter and winning a cup is one you can write a movie about.

 

"It's really cool," the soft-spoken Polish native said. "I understand it's a good story. But I'm going to appreciate it later, right now I just want to celebrate with my team."

 

Eagles spoke not long after a 4-3 victory over the Wranglers in Game 5. Stunned to be standing there with the Cup, Eagles wondered aloud, "I can't believe I had a chance to win this”

He led the Reign here. Leading all goalies in playoff stats with a .936 save percentage and a 2.03 GAA

 

"The first 2 series he plays spectacularly and that’s when you start hoping he can take you all the way," general manager of the Reign said. "You keep watching and wondering, 'Is this real?' Water usually finds its level. Well, his water level is very high. I would say you're he's a rock of our team. ... He's a well-deserving champion."

 

"He's a great goaltender," Star defense-man Tate said. "If we keep the other teams shots to the outside, he's going to be making those saves every day. He has been very solid for us and our cup run."

 

Making saves without looking flashy is what Eagles does best. He isn't frantic in his play and exudes confidence that Reign coaches believe flows to the rest of the team.

 

"This group just got closer and closer as we went on," Eagles said. "They welcomed me in well when I got traded here and I just tried to do my job, battle and try to repay their confidence in me”

 

"He's always been extremely confident in himself, and that's what you've got to love about a goaltender," breakout player Pengu said. "You feel like the team kind of takes on that persona when he steps into the crease."

 

Eagles quiet confidence and ability to steal games were key to the Reign winning it all and having a spectacular 12-1 run

“ You know, it wasn’t just me. The whole team played with passion and dedication. We all deserve this win” Eagles said
 

Eagles has been receiving lots of praise from his coaches

 

"He shut the door," goal-tending Reign coach said. "He made incredible saves and gave us that confidence that he was dialed in, like he was all year. Just to get that first goal was kind of a relief, and we built from there."

 

Eagles was nothing if not resilient. He went 12-1 in the post-season after what was maybe one of his worst regular season performances

 

"Stuff's going to happen during the season," Eagles said. "You're going to go through adversity, right? And this is how I bounced back, I made it happen when it counted."

Edited July 13, 2020 by Greg_Di

[ahockeyguy 110]

Good stuff here! I enjoyed reading his journey along in the VHL to getting this Cup win. I would've liked to read more about what struggles Eagles might have overcome from the previous season. Good dialogue, and good introduction to it. I liked ending on the quote because it framed the previous points made in the article in a believable and non-contrived way. There were some "clunky" portions of writing (e.g., the goal Reign coach--I got the point, but it took a second!), but overall this is a good entry! Score: 7.5/10