Florida Eels Elite players once again selected players of the Month by a panel of USPHL Coaches and League Office.
Kaleb Harrop Top Forward in the Florida Division
Jacob Mork Outstanding Goalie in Florida
Way to go guys
Check out the Dan K and Lucas Jones Feb Power Rankings
Both Elite and Premier remain in the top 10 rankings
The Florida play host to the Atlanta Madhatters for 3 games per team this weekend.
This is a huge weekend for both clubs. The Madhatters are in 4th place in the Premier and Elite Divisions and trying to gain an edge and catch the Jr Blades who sit in 3rd for both squads. The Eels are tied for 1st in the Elite Div and in 2nd place in the Premier Div. So both squads know they are in a dog fight.
It is always tough playing the same team on a two game weekend but three games is enormously challenging. Both of these clubs also play a very physical game so we can expect some heavy hits to go with the fast high temp game that both of these organizations bring to the ice. You won’t see better hockey then what you probably will see this weekend.
Atlanta also plays the Blades next weekend so they will be looking to bring out all of the stops in these matches. The Eels Premier team is coming off a big win over the Jr Blades last weekend and they are eager to continue that formula. The Eels Elite team who have been quite hot of late are coming off 11 wins. They will not take the Madhatters for granted. Standings mean nothing to any of our players. Points mean nothing It is all about the team right now. Not what happen last week or last month or 3 months ago It is all about the next game. The next shift next period and that game at hand.
Join us live at the Skatium Saturday as the Premier kicks off the weekend games.
The Eels and Blades played very tight for two periods. This was a evenly matched contest. In the 1st period theEels out shot the Blades 9-4 and the score remained 0-0
In the 2nd period the Blades capitalized early at 5:38 and notched one taking the lead. The Eels came alive with 26 shots to 20 for the Blades and the Eels tied it up at 18:30 with a goal from Mathieu Rioux (9) ASST: Carl Ingalls (9), Justin Colton (19) Heading into the 3rd they were all even.
In the locke room the boys were selected down and they knew their mission. This game counts and was very important heading into playoffs. The boys unleashed a full air attack unleashing 20 shots on the Blades net minders. The goals came from so many players. I mean a 6 goal hammering
| 3:39 | EEL | Mathieu Rioux (10) ASST: Andrew Ward (23), Rick Hughes (6) (PP) | |
| 5:43 | EEL | Julian Gagnon (2) ASST: Alexander ClIngerman (9), Rick Hughes (7) | |
| 10:24 | EEL | Riley Smyth (11) ASST: Andrew Ward (24), Rick Hughes (8) (PP) | |
| 10:42 | EEL | Andrew Ward (18) ASST: JJ Diaz (2), Cole Grant (1) | |
| 12:14 | EEL | Kaleb Harrop (14) ASST: Mark Phillips (6), Landen Engles (17) | |
| 15:23 | FJB | Thomas Filoramo (26) ASST: Brody Neish (11), Rory Neish (36) | |
| 19:55 | EEL | Neil Campbell (2) ASST: Ali Yatim (2), JJ Diaz (3) (PP) |
This was a strong and disciplined game by the Eels. They are now on a 11 game win streak. This weekend they have a tough schedule 3 games vs the Madhatters.
See us Saturday Sunday and Monday
With the Elite team’s 7-2 win over the Jr Blades the Eels have gone 11 straight games with out a loss. And this weekend they are looking to extend this. They have 3 games against the Madhatters. They will not take Atlanta for granted. They are a solid club and we will have to present our A game
Join us this Saturday Sunday and Monday
Florida Division
Forward: Andrew Ward, Florida Eels
The Eels have risen to third place overall due in large part to a 9-0 winning streak, one that includes wins over the No. 1 team (WBS Knights) and a recent sweep of the Tampa Bay Juniors over Jan. 21 and 23. During this sweep, Ward (‘04/Fort Myers, Fla.) scored two goals and two assists to move to 38 points in 32 games.
Defense: Declan Stitt, Palm Beach Typhoon
Stitt (‘04/Tamarac, Fla.) scored one of the Typhoon’s two goals this weekend in a pair of very close 2-1 losses to the Atlanta MadHatters. Stitt led the team in ice time against Atlanta with 60:45, along with four blocked shots and five hits. Stitt has 14 points in 29 games played this year.
Goaltender: Gianmichael Vallorani, Atlanta MadHatters
Vallorani (‘02/Oakville, Ont.) has seen time with the Premier and Elite MadHatters this season. In his most recent action, he stopped 36 of 37 shots for the MadHatters against the Palm Beach Typhoon, giving him his first Elite win.
Southeast Division
Forward: Kornel Kaibas, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Kaibas (‘03/Hungary) scored two goals and added three assists for five points as the Jr. Canes split with the Hampton Roads Whalers. Kaibas is now on a six-game scoring streak of 6-5-11 over that stretch, and he has 29 points in 28 games this year.
Defense: Jaxen Andersen, Hampton Roads Whalers
Andersen (‘02/Amarillo, Texas) helped the Whalers come out with three of four points against the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes with a win and an overtime loss. He scored two assists over the weekend and led the team with 29:37 per game over the weekend, and he blocked two shots. He has seven assists in 27 games.
USPHL Premier Players Of The Month: South Region
By USPHL Staff, 02/03/22, 3:15PM EST
Forwards
Aaron Hamel, Charlotte Rush
The 2001-born native of Okemos, Mich., is enjoying his second USPHL Premier season, and first with the Charlotte Rush. He carried a scoring streak from December 2021 into the new year. Already 1-3-4 in his last two games at the USPHL Winter Showcase, he extended that to a 3-9-12 streak over seven games. The Arcadia University recruit added another goal and an assist in January to set his monthly line at 3-7-10 in nine contests. Overall, Hamel now has 24 points in 21 games this year and 72 points in 59 career regular season USPHL Premier games.
Michael Reed, Charlotte Rush
Reed (‘01/Knoxville, Tenn.) is another Rush player, like Hamel, who brought four points in his last two games of December into January and set an eventual seven-game scoring streak through Jan. 14. The streak was 9-3-12, and his month’s line for January was 7-5-12 in nine contests. The first-year Premier player improved to 23 points in 25 games, obviously posting more than half of his points for this season in January.
Brenden Yingling, Richmond Generals
Yingling (‘01/Harrisburg, Pa.) helped the Generals to a fantastic 9-1-0-0 month, which included taking over the Southeast Division lead. A Lebanon Valley College recruit, Yingling was a huge part of a massive team effort, as he posted 11 points in January’s 10 games. He carried a five-game scoring streak from December into January and made it an eventual 8-15-23 run in 12 games. By the time January flipped into February, Yingling had 2-9-11 for the first month of 2022. He is the leading scorer for the Generals with 45 points in 38 games.
Defense
Max Bronstine, Charlotte Rush
Bronstine (‘02/Toronto, Ont.) helped the Rush to a 9-1-0-0 run in their last 10 and remain a contender for the Southeast Division lead with their rivals the Richmond Generals. Bronstine posted a goal and eight assists for nine points in nine games, while also posting a +11 rating and five blocked shots. He led the Rush in power play time in January (38:27).
Drake Semrad, Richmond Generals
A recent SUNY-Oswego recruit, the 2001-born native of Middleton, Wis., has passed his 2020-21 points total of 28 by registering his 29th point of the season with a goal on Jan. 30 against Carolina. Overall, for January, Semrad registered a 5-6-11 line in 10 January games and also led the Generals in plus-minus (+9) and threw five hits. He also drew five opponent penalties in January, helping him launch 22 power play shots, third on the team.
Goaltender
Logan Gorbitz, Richmond Generals
Gorbitz (‘01/Superior, Colo.) put up an outstanding 6-1 record in January, with his first five victories actually part of an overall seven-game winning streak going back to the USPHL Florida Showcase in mid-December. In net, along with helping his team to nine January victories, Gorbitz stopped 161 of 169 shots on the month, giving him a division-leading .953 save percentage in January.
Florida Division
Forwards
Jonah Mortenson, Tampa Bay Juniors
Recently tendered by the NCDC’s Twin City Thunder for 2022-23, Mortenson (Champlin, Minn.) exploded offensively in January. He was already a proven scorer, but he put up two three-point games and one performance each of four and five points last month. He finished January on a six-game, 17-point scoring streak as well. Overall, he racked up a 7-14-21 scoring line in nine games for a division-best 2.33 points per game in January. He now has 44 points in 29 games.
Ben Baker, Atlanta MadHatters
Baker (‘02/Powder Springs, Ga.) returns to this honor by just continuing to deserve it, always putting up points and giving his team the best chance to win. Atlanta is in a fierce push for third in the Florida Division with the Florida Jr. Blades, standing just six points back at the turn of the month after a 6-4 run in their last 10 games. Baker averaged two points per game in January, posting a line of 6-8-14, and he brings a five-game goal-scoring streak and a nine-game point-scoring streak into February.
Cole Ketola, Florida Jr. Blades
Ketola (‘01/Cloquet, Minn.) scored in every one of his seven January games, helping the Blades to a 6-2-1-1 record in their last 10 games. After scoring a goal in his final USPHL Florida Showcase game in December, he went on to post 5-9-14 this past month, averaging two points per game. He moved into a tie for the Jr. Blades scoring lead with 42 points in 32 games in this, his second USPHL Premier season.
Defense
Eric Hambling, Florida Eels
Hambling (‘02/Fort Myers, Fla.) helped the Eels to continue to pursue the Florida Division lead, which they continue to trade off with an equally tough Tampa Bay Juniors squad. During the month of January, and all on the big stage of the USPHL Winter Showcase, he posted a goal (the game-winner against MJDP) and five assists for six points. He was also the Eels’ plus-minus leader with a +8, he blocked five shots and delivered 11 hits in January.
Artjoms Kadnikovs, Tampa Bay Juniors
Kadnikovs (‘03/Riga, Latvia) is in his first year of North American hockey, but looks like he’s been playing USPHL Premier hockey all his life. He helped the Juniors to first place in the Florida Division by putting up a +13 rating (leading all Juniors blueliners in January), as well as seven blocked shots and a 3-6-9 scoring line in nine games. Overall, Kadnikovs has 18 points in 25 games.
Goaltender
Blake Mons, Tampa Bay Juniors
Mons (‘02/Charleston, S.C.) has shown the value of his three years of USPHL Premier experience, posting a fantastic 4-1 record during the month of January. And in the one loss he took, he gave up one single goal in a 1-0 loss to the Midwest East-leading Chicago Cougars. He also had a 30-save shutout win over the Mountain Division-leading Utah Outliers, both games coming at the USPHL Winter Showcase. He stopped 120 of 126 shots in the month for a .952 save percentage.
Well, we are back on for Wed against the Jr Blades. The Eels Elite team will take on the Jr Blades at the Fort Myers Skatium. This is a make up game for last Sunday’s game that was postponed
Warm up noon time. Join us live for this midweek matinee or on HockeyTV
The Florida Eels Premier team defeats the Jr Blades 5-3 this morning at a usual 9:00 am moving game. The Blades struck 1st but the Eels showed their strength over powering the Blades in al 3 zones. The Eels tied it up late in the 1st to settle things down. They took the lead in the 2nd but the Blades came back to even things out once again. But then the Eels overtook the Blades by 2 more goals. The Blades made brought it to within 1 in the 3rd but the Eels once again over powered their cross town rivals to put it to bed 5-3.
The Eels unleashed 44 shots on the Blades compared to the Blades who were held to 34. We saw a little different personnel out there today and a change in the lineup. The Eels wanted this one bad. They were on a 4 game winning streak before last weekend where they fell to Tampa in two games. This game put them on the right track. The Blades are playing strong of late . They are a solid club. In 3rd place in the standings. They have added a few guys and are making their playoff preparations This was a huge win.
The two clubs face-off Sunday at 1:00 pm at theSkatium
The Florida Eels Elite team brought their best game to Hertz Arena Thursday evening – 9:00 pm. The boys put on a clinic defensively thawing any sustainable attack from the Jr Blades. The Blades fired 30+ shots on Eels ace goaltender Jake Mork. He was flawless in his response turning away 30 of 30 attempts on his net earning the Eels 2nd shutout in as many games. In fact the Eels have not allowed a single goal in 7 periods.
The Eels turned things up a notch on the Blades goalie unleashing 39 shots on the Blades netminder putting 2 behind him. The Eels Elite team have been Red Hot of late winning 10 straight games. They have taken down the Carolina Hurricanes, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights, the Junior Bruins, the Northern Cyclones, the Springfield Pics, the Tampa Juniors and the Jr Blades in this run.
The Eels also overtook the Tampa Juniors for sole possession of 1st place in the Florida Division. The Eels also secured a playoff spot in the standings. The Eels will take on the Jr Blades at home on Sunday 10:30 am to conclude their home and away games in this weekend set of games.
Please join us live or on HockeyTV
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