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The Eels players are all back in town and ready to get going again. This week we take on the Tampa Juniors in a home and away series. Friday our Elite and Premier teams travel to Tampa whereas on Sunday we have our home-stand at the Skatium

The Tampa Juniors are neck on neck with the Eels. Only a few points separate the two organizations> These will be some pretty lively games this weekend.

The Eels coaches Echoed:  Have fun before heading home for the break. And that is what the boys did. The squads were broken up and the boys had some good old fashion pond type hockey. There was a lot of scoring and high octane energy as the players went into high gear enjoying a couple of hours of fun hockey. This is just what they needed coming off of strong convincing wins and an extremely hard week of practice. Moreover we wanted to have the boys leave on a positive note. Moreover, it is so important to get the feel of the puck. Work on the scoring. So it was a great send off.

Both the Elite and Premier players relax before their Thanksgiving Break as the Eels staff serve a pancake breakfast. It was a nice send off for many of the guys to enjoy a little fun and R&R.

The Eels came off a disappointing lost last Sunday against the Palm Beach Typhoon and got right to work on Monday to turn things around. It was getting re-focused and energized in the right way. No doubt it was one of the toughest weeks the boys went though. It was a combination of physical and mental preparation to get back on track.  And that they did. There was something different starting on Monday and as it transcended throughout the week.  It was evident from the way the boys took to practice, it was evident from the way they were dialed into their video sessions, it was evident the way the players took to their off-ice conditioning. You can see the intensity in their eyes, in the speed in their game, in their hitting, their fore-check and attitude.

 

Well, the boys made it real clear in this game. Enough talking, enough Xs and O’s Enough hype. The Eels were looking to avenge their loss with the Typhoon. And that is what they did. The crowd clearly favored the Eels despite being an away game. But the Eels planted their stake in the ground and took ownership of this game. The Eels exploded for 6 unanswered goals and completely shut down the Blades to capture a well-deserved shutout. It was not just the goals scored; however, The Eels smothered the Jr Blades on the fore-check. Their puck retrieval was flawless. Every time the Blades got possession the Eels stripped them of it.  Moreover, the Eels took advantage every time they got possession. Look at the shots on goal. Eels unleashed an unprecedented 56 shots on the Blades netminder. Incredible. Even more impressive was the fact there were 6 different goal scorers for the Eels. The scoring was indeed balanced.  Additionally, there were 8 different Eels who had tallied assists.

 

 

When the Blades entered the Eels defensive zone you saw how they equally suffocated the Blades from any sustainable threat with a slim 18 shots on the Eels goalie. No doubt the Eels came to Hertz with the hunger, determination, and fortitude to show who they are. It was a solid win and one that the Eels wanted to crystallize before the Thanksgiving break. We saw the resilience of the Eels. To bounce back after a disappointing loss but that is how championship caliber teams are made up. These boys are on a mission and this win is another example of the Eels DNA.

 

Florida Eels 1 4 1 – 6
Florida Junior Blades 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Crupi 6 (Hennessy, Trathen), 5:41. Penalties-Fenton Fjb (tripping), 11:07.

2nd Period-2, Florida Eels, Goddard 2 (Patterson, Trathen), 1:31 (PP). 3, Florida Eels, Godbout 1   8:19. 4, Florida Eels, Salminen 4 (Shepherd, Budgell), 14:06. 5, Florida Eels, Hennessy 9 (Moore, Goddard), 16:45 (PP). Penalties-Fenton Fjb (holding), 1:13; Zebley Eel (slashing), 4:45; Hennessy Eel (elbowing), 5:48; Fenton Fjb (roughing), 8:19; Phillips Eel (interference), 11:43; Salminen Eel (interference), 14:18; Fenton Fjb (interference), 15:30.

3rd Period-6, Florida Eels, Maltais 1 (Carpenter), 19:49. Penalties-Carpenter Eel (slashing), 7:26; Hambling Eel (high-sticking), 8:04; Mongeau Fjb (slashing), 10:26; Crupi Eel (holding), 11:53; Ramoundos Fjb (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:18; Mayer Fjb (interference), 16:58.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 15-21-20-56. Florida Junior Blades 4-7-7-18.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 0; Florida Junior Blades 0 / 0.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Rolleman 7-0-1-1 (18 shots-18 saves). Florida Junior Blades, Carabelli 6-3-1-0 (56 shots-50 saves).

Guys please be sure to join us Friday for our annual Thanksgiving pancake breakfast

The staff will be making delicious pancakes for all.

Premier 9:30 am and Elite 11:00 am

 

The Florida Eels Storm the Jr Blades 7-1 in their Final Game of November

 

After a disappointing loss to the Palm Beach Typhoon and a 3rd game Shootout loss to Atlanta two weeks ago, the Eels came out blazing this afternoon. After Sunday’s upset, the Eels went back to the drawing board and put in about 5+ hours Monday and Tuesday to regroup and figure out what went wrong and to go back to basics. Moreover, the Eels players did some soul searching and decided it was time to show everyone who the real Eels are. We are entitled to a loss and maybe a slight skid. But the true character of players and a solid team is how we bounce back and get back on track. There is no doubt whoever was watching today’s game witnessed precisely that from the Eels.

 

Today’s win saw  goals  from  7  different  players and about 10 different players tallying assists. Scoring by committee if you will.  Moreover, Evan Spinella  in net for the Eels slammed shut the door. Below is a summary of the game:

 

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Burke 1 (Gagnon, Corbett), 2:27 (PP). 2, Florida Junior Blades, Mongeau 6 (White), 6:03. 3, Florida Eels, Duden 2 (Marchetta, ClIngerman), 12:11. Penalties-White Fjb (cross-checking), 0:57; McLellan Fjb (bench -too many players on the ice), 7:00; Kuhnell Fjb (bench -too many players on the ice), 16:49.

2nd Period-4, Florida Eels, Gagnon 7 (Burke, Duden), 1:00 (PP). 5, Florida Eels, Ghafari 3 (Burke, Berak), 8:40. 6, Florida Eels, Carnes 2 (Kaiser, Wilson), 11:51. Penalties-Mason Fjb (high-sticking), 0:52; ClIngerman Eel (delay of game), 9:41; Barta Fjb (delay of game), 9:41; Corwen Fjb (cross-checking), 12:42; Kuhnell Fjb (roughing), 16:37.

3rd Period-7, Florida Eels, Petrenko 2 (ClIngerman, Cermak), 4:13. 8, Florida Eels, Marchetta 6 (Kaiser, Duden), 7:27. Penalties-ClIngerman Eel (cross-checking), 0:13; Corwen Fjb (cross-checking), 0:13; Kaiser Eel (slashing), 1:50; Vella Fjb (high-sticking), 7:27; Kaiser Eel (cross-checking), 12:46; Appleyard Fjb (cross-checking), 12:46; ClIngerman Eel (roughing, game misconduct), 13:27; Camp Fjb (roughing, game misconduct), 13:27; Gusty Fjb (elbowing), 15:14; Ghafari Eel (tripping), 19:59; Kuhnell Fjb (boarding), 19:59.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 17-26-16-59. Florida Junior Blades 4-10-9-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 0; Florida Junior Blades 0 / 0.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Spinella 4-1-0-0 (23 shots-22 saves). Florida Junior Blades, Wrobleski 0-6-0-1 (38 shots-33 saves); Robeson 0-7-0-0 (21 shots-19 saves).

 

The Eels are off for the Thanksgiving break and will return to play December 2nd in Tampa and back home December 4th

The Florida Eels Elite team is very excited to head to West Palm Beach this Sunday to take on the Palm Beach Typhoon. It is amazing that the two organizations have not yet met this season. The Eels are coming off a 3-game road trip against the Atlanta Mad Hatters where the Elite team went 2-1-1. They took 5 of 6 points on the table. It is extremely difficult to defeat the same team twice in one weekend and almost impossible for a 3-game sweep. So, they took the 5 points. However, this is a tough squad that demands the very best of themselves and holds its bar very high. It is never acceptable for them to accept a lost.

 

The guys were nursing quite a few players with the flu and missed several players with injuries as well as advancing two of its top goal scores to the Premier team in the game it lost in a shootout. But those factors are never an excuse as these voids are openings and opportunities for other players to step up and do the job, show the coaches what they can contribute and earn top minutes on the squad. Yes, we did find some guys who stepped up this past weekend and opened up the eyes of the coaches. We saw players like: Adamo Di Ri, Gustavs Valpeteris, Lorenzo Marchetta,   Maxim Schanck, Sean Burke,  Bailey Kaiser, Nate Haas and Jachym Cermak  stepped up  as team leaders.   Then there were others who played major roles this past weekend in Atlanta,   such as:  Reid Wilson, Anderson Libby, Jackson Carnes, Marc Ghafari, Grady Duden,  and Raphael LaRose.  These guys were clear difference makers.

 

Well, this weekend against Palm Beach and next week against the Jr Blades, we will see who the hungriest players will be and who will forge forward to be key guys for the club. We talk about elevating your game to the Next Level, well there isn’t a better chance than now. There is so much at stake here. The Eels are battling in the standings against Tampa. The Eels have played 14 games. Won 11 and ties 1 for 23 points. Tampa has played 2 more games than the Eels with 16 games. They have 10 wins and 1 tie for 21 points. Atlanta is in 3rdwith 16 points and Palm Beach with 12 points. The fact that the Eels have played 2 fewer games is a factor only relevant if the Eels win both of those games. Well this Sunday we have a chance to win one and next week vs the Blades we have a chance to win the 2nd game in hand. That is a total of 4 points on the swing. The season believe it or not is almost ½ played after next week. A 5 point lead is considerable when you look at who we have to play at the showcases. The Rush, Hurricanes, Potomac etc. It is rough sailing for the remainder of the season.

 

But, the true exercise here is to remember these are all training games. Training games for the playoffs and National run. The toughest teams advance. The most disciplined players make the difference. Those guys who come every day and who are the most dedicated are the difference makers in the long run. If you treat every game as though it is THE playoff game then it will become second nature at playoffs. Teams that try to “turn it on” at playoffs play outside their comfort zone. That is why we insist that we fore-check that much harder and smother our opponents to create puck relevel, that is why we demand equally tenacity on the back check to suffocate our opponents and deny zone entry or strip them of the puck in the defensive zone, That is why we expect a sustained and relentless attack on their goalie.  Guys for the Eels it is a team effort yes but each member of the team playing on any given day must perform. It is when we stall we falter. The players know what is before them. They understand that opportunities resonate at practices and off ice. We expect all the guys to make that big push forward this week vs Palm Beach and next week vs the Jr Blades.

The Eels Premier team is determined as ever to rebound and get back on track after last weekend’s games vs the Mad Hatters. The Eels had a chance to regroup at home and most of all nurse the flu many of the guys had and more importantly mend the injuries of about 5 of its players. It is always tough to have a 3-game weekend as players do not have the chance to rest and recover. When the scenario also includes injuries to about 20% of the team,  it is even more  challenging.  The players had Tuesday off as they got home quite late from Monday games. The players had a great practice on Wednesday. With Hurricane Nicole flirting around us, we took precaution and gave them Thursday off as well. These two days no doubt will speak volumes in the recovery process. Today, Friday we have an intense practice and then will have our normal Saturday off.

 

Moving forward we feel quite good. Our guys feel much healthier and with the infusion of Justin Deshaies and Jacob Godbout in the lineup, we can expect a more sustainable punch to our game. Both offer a scoring element as well as a very physical element to their game.  The energies are great, and the boys are really pumped to get their next game going. The Eels Premier squad is one of the most exciting teams in the league and they want to showcase their wares. It was just a few weeks ago Dan K predicted that the Eels Premier team is one of the favorites to win Nationals.  The boys are back in action this Sunday in Palm Beach. Come join us live or on HockeyTV.

The Eels were clipped by the Mad Hatters in game 3 of the weekend trilogy. This was a taxing weekend for the Eels dropping 2 of the 3 games. We had to make a number of adjustments in these games with a half a dozen players with colds and 5 with injuries. But we offer no excuses. This is all part of any season in juniors. We cannot expect to go 44-0. This gave the coaches the opportunity to bring players up from our Elite squad.

The Eels are a resilient group and we know what has to be done. The spirit was still high. They know our abilities and the talent level we have. Tuesday we had a chance to rest and Wed we got back to work. The team took Thursday off with the tropical storm and that will provide more healing and rest. Back to work Friday and we will be ready for Sunday’s game vs Palm Beach