Last year, Eagan entered the postseason with a 6-7 record -- its only sub .500 season this decade -- but somehow managed to make its second state tournament appearance in program history, stringing together three wins and two upsets over an unbeaten Woodbury team and East Ridge in the Section 3 finals.

Netminder Jack Courington was largely responsible for the Wildcats' postseason resurgence, as he played well over his head at the time, stopping 54 of 71 shots in section play.

“He’s tremendous,” Eagan coach Bob Felter said. “Jack’s the best goalie we’ve ever had.”

Courington, now in his junior season, served as a backboard for the Wildcats, stopping 14 of 19 shots en route to a 14-5 romping of South Suburban Conference rival Rosemount Tuesday night, Eagan’s fifth straight win to start the season.

“Rosemount’s always tough,” Felter said. “The South Suburban Conference is the best -- has been for a couple years -- they always give us a fight.”

Courington, chiseled shot after shot for the past three years in net for the Wildcats, is the only returner on the defensive end, and has a second-best .722 save percentage in the state among goalies who’ve faced at least 60 shots this season.

“Honestly, I can’t tell you,” teammate Brandon Wuertz said of Courington’s success in net. “He’s robbing me all the time in practice. He knows where you're shooting before you even do.”

Courington’s approach is simple. Keep your feet planted and let your stick do the work.

He stopped seven shots in the third quarter right as it seemed that the Irish, ranked seventh in the coaches’ poll, were gaining ground.

“It’s kinda' just off reaction, I don’t do too much in the cage,” Courington said. “Call everything out. Look at the stick see where it’s going.”

Courington’s balance between the pipes allows him to remain focused and look for an outlet pass right away, fitting No. 5 Eagan’s transition game.

“These guys play so well together and they’re very creative and know where each other are,” Felter said. “They’ll take chances and know I won't’ yell at them for doing that because that’s the way we want to play.

Courington is the epicenter of a team that returns its top five goal scorers and has thrived in Felter’s system: an uptempo road show where the ball sees more airtime than twine, minus the time it spends in the back of the net.

Tuesday night that style did bite the Wildcats (5-0, 3-0), as four of the five goals they gave up were while playing a man down.

“We just play really fast,” Wuertz said. “We play to hit them and sometimes you just get those calls.”

Eagan is averaging a program-best 15.6 goals per game, and while those stats may be inflated given a lighter schedule to begin the season, the Wildcats proved it's no mirage after avenging a 9-8 loss to Rosemount last season. 

Looking back on playing Rosemount (3-2, 1-2) in close games the past two seasons, Courington had nothing but praise for Irish freshman goalie Landon Merigold.

““He was unreal,” Courington said. “It’s like a mirror almost. I kinda' see myself in him. It’s a battle and some of the saves he made -- he was fantastic credit him.”

Brandon Wuertz tallied a game-high five points for Eagan in the Wildcats' 14-5 win over Rosemount Tuesday night at Rosemount High School.

Four minutes into the game, the Irish, ranked No. 7 in the coaches' poll, took the lead but the No. 5 Wildcats scored six straight goals to close the half.

Wuertz played a hand in three of those goals, scoring twice to cap the first quarter and adding an assist to a score from fellow attacker Aaron Propson in the second.

Propson and Darby Sorensen finished the game with two goals and an assist each. Jack Reber scored three goals and added an assist for the Irish (3-2, 1-2).

Jack Courington earned the win for the Wildcats (5-0, 3-0), while freshman Landon Merigold took the loss for Rosemount in net.

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