A gritty effort at both ends of the ice and standout goaltending helped Florida Eels advance to the 2021 USPHLPremier National Championship game.

The Florida Division champs scored the lone first period goal and sank the game-winner along with a pair of empty net insurance markers in a 4-1 against the Southeast Division’s second seed, the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes.

The win earned the Eels a spot in the National Championship game on Monday at 1 p.m. EST against the Southeast Division champion Charlotte Rush.

The Eels and Jr. Canes traded goals through the opening two periods – the Eels with the lone goal of the opening frame and the Canes battling back in the second, the Eels adding the game winner and a couple empty netters in the final 20 minutes.

But making it all possible was Alexandre Caron (‘01/Ste-Victoir-de-Sorel, Que.) who pushed away 43 of 44 Hurricanes shots, helping the Eels to the win despite being outshot 44-24.

Casey Gerstein fired the first period goal for the Eels and Jacob Schnapp (‘00/Tampa, Fla.) responded for the Hurricanes with the lone second period tally.

Taurin Haddon-Harris (‘01/Boca Raton, Fla.) buried the game-winner for the Eels while Demeed Podrezov (‘00/Moscow, Russia) and Collin Patterson (‘02/Melbourne, Fla.) sank the empty-netters.