The Eels Elite came out with high expectations vs the Boston Bandits. Instead the Eels faced a bombardment of shots and before they knew it, they were returning to the locker room on the southside of a 6-1 thrashing. The Eels were shocked. They expected a win over the Bandits and were stunned everywhere on the ice. Then in game two they knew their opponent would be tough as they square off vs the Charlotte Rush. The Eels seemed to turn things around by the 1st½ but their wheels fell off to a 7-0 hammering by the Rush.
No doubt in the 1sttwo games the Eels Elite were unraveled. There were a number of factors contributing to these disappointing losses. The novelty of coming to their first Northern Showcase, the sheer numbers of college scouts, and the entire overall college showcase environment. Moreover, when you couple this with 18 rookies on the team things were a bit unraveling.
Real fast GM Frank Scarpaci and Coach Alex and Frankie corralled the troops. We broke the games down individual performances and team inequities and conduct. We knew we could tie in our short season experiences in winning and recoil reminding them of what it takes to win here. We needed 105 more effort and determination by each player. To win their shifts and don’t be consumed with the game. Don’t focus on the opponents record but focus on the immediate task at hand. Win your battles one shift at a time, raise their compete level and no bickering on the team amonst each other. When things don’t go right don’t point fingers accept accountability. These things are not automatic. They are leaned and nurtured. But we had to close the gp fast and elevate the learning curve if we wanted to immediate turn things around. And that we did!
The turnaround was remarkable The Eels Elite took down the Northern Cyclones 4-3. This was a real chess match and battle of will. We want wanted it more. Our players did their job!!!!! They defeated one of the best teams in the North a 1stplace seed. In regulation 4-3. This game gave our players believability. Confidence. They saw for themselves they could win and win big against a top team. Well then, the next test was how they would perform against their Southern Rivals the Hampton Road Whales. Here again the Eels came out on fire. From the drop of the puck we took control.
The Eels gained momentum in game 3 and it carried itself well into game 4. We were first on the puck We won 90% of board battles loose puck battles. Our shots were hitting the net. Our back check was with a purpose Our fore-check was resurged and very aggressive. The net result 4-1 resounding win. Outstanding come back We are very proud of our Elite players and once again 18 rookies.
