Category: Uncategorized

By: Joseph Munroe *Contributing Writer for the Eels

This Friday the Florida Eels Premier team faces off against The Tampa Bay Juniors at Advent Health Center Ice in Tampa, FL. The Eels’ last game was on Oct. 20 against the Florida Jr. Blades in which a game the Eels won 4-3. The Premier Team has been red hot and hasn’t lost a game in regulation at 8-0-0-1, the only game they lost was a shootout in extras. But this weekend they turn their focus to a division rival, the Tampa Bay Juniors who are in fact on a 2-0 run. The Juniors look to end the Eels hot streak this weekend.

This will be the first time these two teams are facing off since last year, in which Tampa took a slight lead 4-3 in their season series. However, the Eels have a 2-0 winning streak against the Juniors.

Eels’ phenomenon Taurin Haddon-Harris has 59 career points and is 10 away from cracking into the all-time top 20 scorers. Goaltender Alex Caron has been dominant this season with a 5-0 record and has a GAA of 1.60. Caron won his last start against the Jr. Blades in which he tied the Eels’ record for regular season wins in the USPHL Premier (since 2017). The prior record was held by Jakub Kostelny with 21 wins from the 2019-2020 season. Caron can become the team’s all-time winningest goaltender in the Premier Division this weekend.

The door is open for the Eels to take sole first place in the Florida Division with two dominant goalies and a great attack. All four lines present a great attack with stars on each line. Tauron Haddon-Harris leads the way with 14 points, 5 goals, and 9 assists. Kayde Budgell is not far behind him with 11 points, 7 goals, and 4 assists.

The Eels understand that they must take advantage of having a home-ice advantage this weekend against the first place Juniors. Although the Tampa Bay Juniors have played more games than the Eels, they have a better record than Tampa coming in at 8-0 with 17 points. The Juniors are holding a close first-place lead, but after this weekend that could easily change.

This weekend the Florida Eels Elite team faces off against the Tampa Bay Juniors kicking off a two-game set with the Juniors starting Friday night and ending on Sunday. The Eels’ have been on a roll this season coming in at 4-0 winning streak and 7-2-1 on the season.

 

These games are crucial for the Eels to make a statement with only 14 points. Although they are in second place and the Juniors are in first keep in mind the elite team has played 6 fewer games than the Juniors have. Left-winger Andrew Ward leads the team with 12 points along with Defenseman Braeden Bzovey coming in with 11 points.

Goalie Jacob Mork is undefeated this season and has a GAA of 1.47. He has been lights out this season and looks to shut out the Juniors when they come to town this weekend. He leads the league in GAA and has 132 saves on the season.

Both teams are looking to make a statement against their in-state rival this weekend. The teams must take advantage of home ice and show why they are the best team in the state of Florida. “It won’t be an easy task, but we are ready for the challenge,” said Frank Scarpaci Eels General Manager.

The anticipation has been brewing. It is an unusual year as the Florida Eels and the Tampa Juniors usually have played at least a home and away series by now. In fact in most years they were the opening weekend for both clubs. Tampa’s Premier team has played 15 games compared to the Eels who only played 9. The same is true in the Elite Division. That is a 6-game spread. Even after this weekend series there will remain a 6-game differential. If the Eels win all 6 of those games that would be 12 points. At present Tampa has 9 wins 5 losses and 1 tie for 19 points. The Eels have 8 wins and 1 tie for 17 points.

 

That is incredible for the Eels. Just two points behind Tampa and they played 6 fewer games. Indeed, the Eels have had a strong showing out of the gate. They have done so by defeating some of the best teams in the South such as the defending National Champs, the Charlotte Rush, The Hampton Road Whalers, the Potomac Patriots, the Palm Beach Typhoon, and the Florida Junior Blades.

 

Tampa and the Eels always play very well against one another. These two programs have always been evenly matched and bring out the best in one another. Both full of highly skilled and competitive guys. Last season it came down to the final game of the season to determine who would come out in 1st place. In the Premier Division and it was extremely close in the Elite Division as well. Well folks this is their first outing of the season. A home and away series. The Eels are looking to gain 4 points and overtake Tampa for first place in the Division. There are so many unknowns this weekend. We have not even had a chance to see them except shortly at the Southeast Showcase in Raleigh and on HockeyTV.  We know one thing for sure. That the Division is full with unknows. Atlanta has shown they can beat anyone as have the Jr Blades, Tampa and the new franchise – the Palm Beach Typhoon. You know the Eels coaching staff and our players have it engrained in our DNA that we take no team for granted and won’t be complacent in their approach this weekend. We look for the Eels to come out strong and they are hungry, focused as ever. Additionally, not to look too far ahead, the Eels are looking to capture the 6 points they have in hand against Tampa in the upcoming weeks.

 

On the Elite side Tampa has played 15 games won 10 for 20 points. The Eels have played 9 games won 7 lost 2 for 14 points. Like the Premier the difference is a magic 6 points and a 6 game differential

 

On Friday the Elite team plays first in Tampa at 5:30 pm and the Premier team plays 2nd at 8:15 pm They return home for Sunday’s games at the Ft Myers Skatium Elite at 10:30 am and Premier at 1:00 pm Join us live or on HockeyTv

The drama was set for the midweek game between the Florida Eels Premier and the Jr Blades. This is one of the best rivalries in all of Junior hockey. Many great games over the decade and a half. Two teams with a lot of pride and determination.  Last night was no exception. We witnessed the lead change hands several times back and forth.  In the end the Eels showed why they were ranked at the top in the Power Rankings. They suffocated the Blades defensively in timely situations and overwhelmed them offensively with an onslaught of missiles at their netminders. The Eels pounded 47 shots at the Blades goalie and he stopped 43.  Credit to their goalie as the Eels had some point blanked shots that would have normally cruised by many other opposing goalies, and he somehow thawed 6-7 potential goals. He indeed, stood on his head and played solid.

 

But Caron played stronger. It was a goalie duel, and he was the better of the two. Caron turned away 26 of 29 shots  from the Blades.  It was a solid over all game for the entire Eels team.  Adam Gaudet had a pair of goals that highlighted his night. Additionally, we had several Eels players who had 2 points – Kayde Budgell with a goal and an assist, and both  XavIer Delage  and Easton Moore picked up a pair of assists each.

 

The Eels further increased their lead over the Tampa Juniors. The Juniors take on Palm Beach this weekend and we saw last weekend the Typhoon will give you tough games so the Juniors cannot take them for granted or they will be on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Elsewhere Atlanta travels to Estero to take on the Blades.

 

The Eels are off this weekend and take on Tampa next Friday in Tampa and home on Sunday. We have yet to play them this season.

 

Good job guys and impressive win indeed.

USPHL Premier Players Of The Week: South Region 

By USPHL Staff, 10/21/21, 8:45PM EDT

 

South Division

Forward: Mark Padgett, Hampton Roads Whalers

It’s a long way from Padgett’s hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, to Chesapeake, Va., but he’s making the most of the miles. The 2003-born forward has evened up his points per game by scoring two goals and five assists over the last two games. He now has 10 points in 10 games.

 

Defense: Tyler Fittro, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

The Jr. Cane from Cedar Falls, Iowa, picked up a goal and two assists in the second of a pair of games against Hampton Roads. The ‘01 second year veteran has seven points in four games and is also tied for the lead among defensemen in team plus-minus (+7).

 

Goaltender: Dylan Dallaire, Potomac Patriots

Dallaire (‘01/Timmins, Ont.) has returned to the crease for a much-improved Patriots team, one that got its first win over Charlotte since Feb. 1, 2020. He stopped 51 of 52 Rush shots in a decisive victory. He is 3-4 with a .922 save percentage.

 

Florida Division

Forward: Brett Beale, Tampa Bay Juniors

Beale (‘03/Highland, Mich.) scored two goals and added an assist as the Blades got the sweep over Tampa Bay in a home-and-home series. He has 8-4-12 totals through 11 games.

 

Defense: Trevor Voyda, Florida Eels

The five-year USPHL veteran, Voyda (‘01/Naples, Fla.) is in his third year with the Premier Eels, and he shows it every day. He had a goal and an assist in the weekend sweep of the Palm Beach Typhoon. At 86 games, he is fourth all-time in Eels games played by a blueliner.

 

Goaltender: Sal Carabelli, Florida Jr. Blades

Carabelli (‘02/Shelby Township, Mich.) made 38 saves on 40 shots by the Tampa Bay Juniors last Friday for his third win of the season, moving to 3-2. The second-year Premier goalie Carabelli also has an impressive .924 save percentage.

The Florida Eels Premier Team Squares Off v the Jr Blades Wednesday Evening at 5:30 pm at the Fort Myers Skatium

The Eels are sitting in first place in the Florida Division after two huge wins over the Palm Beach Typhoon over the weekend. They are 7-0-1 on the season. Red hot. The Jr Blades have done quite well on their own. Although their record is only 4-5-1, they too have been on a run with a 3-game winning streak. They defeated the Typhoon 6-3 a few weeks ago and just last weekend they upset the Tampa Juniors 5-2 Friday evening and 6-3 Saturday afternoon.

You know the Eels won’t be taking anything for granted. The Eels coaching staff indeed take nothing for granted. They know full well the Blades have improved and are quite hungry to edge up in the standings.

This is a very unique bunch of guys suiting up for the Eels this season. They are very tight. Extremely dedicated and self motivated. They are a team on a mission. You see it in every aspect in the way they train and play. A true pleasure to coach and watch. It is an experience.

Moreover, these two programs have the strongest rivalry in junior hockey. You can expect both squads to being everything to the game. You will see the best in competition. The game will be very spirited and lightning fast. If you can’t get up for this game you will never get up for a game.

This is a rare midweek game in the league, but we are able to accommodate this where the two teams are so close in proximity. This will be a game the college scouts will be dialed into. Come join us at the Skatium at 5:30 pm or live on HockeyTV

Florida Elite Team Overpowered The Palm Beach Typhoons 6-2 at Home to Complete the Home and Away Weekend Series. 

 

 

The Eels Elite scored a total of 12 goals in their home and away weekend series. On Friday they defeated the Typhoons 6-4 and today they took down their East Coast rivals 6-2. The Eels struck goal first and raised the pressure with their systematic and relentless fore-check and drive to the net. Jake Mork continued to turn away shooters and attackers allowing a stingy 2 goals on the day securing the Eels house.

 

There was concern before the weekend as the Palm Beach Typhoon Elite have been very successful and strong with their play. They showed incredible resolve in their game against the Atlanta Mad Hatters and garnering a huge comeback win against the highly rank Jr Blades. But despite the “Typhoon Warning” the Eels deadened the storm as they set up their proverbial storm shutters by playing a smothering defense and stifling Palm Beach’s offense.

The Eels came out victorious in today’s game 6-2.

 

Scoring was as follows:

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Ward 5 (Bzovey, Engles), 0:22. 2, Palm Beach Typhoon, Eder 2 (Aulisio), 15:39. Penalties-Carpenter Eel (elbowing), 4:42; Synowski Pbt (interference), 5:18; Weisenberger Pbt (tripping), 8:01; Diaz Eel (cross-checking), 18:22.

2nd Period-3, Florida Eels, ClIngerman 3 (Colton), 1:36. 4, Florida Eels, Smyth 3 (Diaz), 12:20. 5, Florida Eels, Dominique 2 (Carpenter, Bzovey), 16:21 (PP). 6, Palm Beach Typhoon, Smalley 2 (Jackson, Taskila), 19:43. Penalties-Ingalls Eel (high-sticking), 1:51; Maybury Pbt (bench -too many players on the ice), 5:35; Cederblom Pbt (roughing), 7:05; Smyth Eel (roughing), 7:05; Dunlap Pbt (elbowing), 8:30; Zamiello Pbt (major -hitting from behind), 13:38; Zamiello Pbt (game misconduct), 15:07.

3rd Period-7, Florida Eels, Bzovey 4 (Dominique, Colton), 8:55 (PP). 8, Florida Eels, Engles 4 (Dominique, Colton), 11:11 (PP). Penalties-Carpenter Eel (elbowing), 5:29; Corbett Eel (cross-checking), 5:46; Stitt Pbt (roughing), 6:10; Dunlap Pbt (taunting an opponent), 6:31; Mork Eel (slashing), 6:31; Weisenberger Pbt (hooking), 7:58; Dunlap Pbt (roughing), 11:02; Engles Eel (taunting an opponent), 11:11; Murano Pbt (roughing, game misconduct), 11:39; Bzovey Eel (roughing, game misconduct), 11:39; Synowski Pbt (hooking), 12:01; Carpenter Eel (roughing, roughing), 16:29.

Shots on Goal-Palm Beach Typhoon 19-4-9-32. Florida Eels 9-17-13-39.
Power Play Opportunities-Palm Beach Typhoon 0 / 0; Florida Eels 3 / 0.
Goalies-Palm Beach Typhoon, Libutti 1-2-0-0 (39 shots-33 saves). Florida Eels, Mork 4-0-0-0 (32 shots-30 saves).

Florida  Eels Premier and Elite Squads Calm Typhoon Wind with 2 Clear and Convincing Wins in Palm Beach 

 

Well, the NHL may be back but if you are looking for the hottest and most exciting hockey program in Florida, come and see the Florida Eels.  There you will see two teams who set the standard when it comes to laying everything on the ice. This Friday both teams met up with the Palm Beach Typhoon In Palm Beach. The Typhoon is the newest program in the Florida Division. They have been hot of late with some big wins. However, the Typhoon soon learned the depth and fortitude of the Eels from the Premier team to the Elite squad.

 

The Eels were off for 2 weeks. So they were bound to be a bit off and rusty. They practiced and trained 3-4 hours per day during their hiatus but game timing was expected to be a bit off. Moreover, many folks were concerned about the Friday double header were away games. It proved to be a wrong. One thing people did not understand is Palm Beach for over 15 years was a home away from home. In fact, despite many years of hosting the Palm Beach Hawks, the Eels were in fact  fan favorites for many Palm Beach fans. Many of our players came from South Florida and last night was no different. There were more than 30-40 locals cheering on the Eels. Moreover, the Fort Myers fans traveled to Palm Beach to watch and support their Eels. In fact there were over 75 Florida Eels fans there on Friday. That was great and no doubt help propel both the Eels Premier and Elite team.

 

The Premier played first and came out strong.  The Eels outshot the Typhoon 12 -3 in the 1st period, with 2 unanswered goals. In the 2nd the shots were even 11-12 but the Eels out scored the Typhoon with 3 more goals to 1, and  in the 3rd period the Eels out gunned 16-11 the shots but each team scored 2 each to complete the scoring 7-3 Eels.

 

In net, Duncan Rolleman   for the Eels held us in there weathering any consistent threat by the Typhoon. He was solid and strong.

 

Scoring went as follows:

 

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Karlstrom 3   5:58. 2, Florida Eels, Zebley 1 (Karlstrom, Hambling), 9:13. Penalties-Choueiri Pbt (interference), 14:21.

2nd Period-3, Florida Eels, Karlstrom 4 (Gaudet, Kozden), 5:39. 4, Palm Beach Typhoon, Lampen 9 (Dufort, Choueiri), 7:13. 5, Florida Eels, Gaudet 2 (Moore, Hambling), 14:29. 6, Florida Eels, Budgell 4 (Voyda, Kiyawasew), 18:43 (PP). Penalties-Patterson Eel (hooking), 9:11; DavIdson Eel (interference), 12:23; Karlstrom Eel (interference), 15:38; Saurbaugh Pbt (major -face mask, game misconduct), 17:35.

3rd Period-7, Florida Eels, Haddon-Harris 4 (Voyda), 0:34. 8, Palm Beach Typhoon, Morris 5   1:24. 9, Florida Eels, Voyda 1 (Kiyawasew, Haddon-Harris), 7:34 (PP). 10, Palm Beach Typhoon, Hartje 1 (Brace, Morris), 8:17. Penalties-Moore Eel (elbowing), 4:40; Brace Pbt (interference), 7:02; Patterson Eel (roughing), 9:17; Morris Pbt (high-sticking), 9:17; Hambling Eel (roughing), 16:25; Brace Pbt (major -slashing, game misconduct), 16:25.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 12-11-16-39. Palm Beach Typhoon 3-12-11-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 0; Palm Beach Typhoon 0 / 0.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Rolleman 3-0-0-1 (26 shots-23 saves). Palm Beach Typhoon, La Forge 0-3-0-0 (39 shots-32 saves).

 

On the Elite side, boy did these young men show resolve. On their way to the game their bus was in an accident. Thank God everyone was safe.  The boys were running late. You know all things were not in sync. Well the boys got off to a rough start coupled with being off for 2 weeks. Palm Beach out shot the Eels 16-9. You could see things were not a bit disjointed. Passes were off. The trigger was off. Although the Eels scored 1st we were in a deficit 2-1 at the end of the 1st. In the 2nd period the Eels looked a lot like themselves and out gunned the Typhoon 22-12 and Braeden Bzovey for the Eels tied things up 2-2. In the 3rd period the Typhoon responded the way they did vs. Atlanta and the Jr Blades. An incredible 13 shots to 11 for the Eels. Palm Beach wouldn’t quit. But neither would the Eels. They took over putting 4 more goals passed the Palm Beach netminder.  In net for the Eels was Devin Selleck who played strong for the Eels slamming the door shut keeping the Eels in the game.

 

Scoring set forth below:

 

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Ingalls 1 (Ward, Engles), 0:14. 2, Palm Beach Typhoon, Jackson 1 (Synowski, Taskila), 9:37 (PP). 3, Palm Beach Typhoon, Murano 2 (Zamiello, Curry), 16:18 (PP). Penalties-Weisenberger Pbt (interference), 1:44; Corbett Eel (cross-checking), 6:10; Campbell Eel (slashing), 7:49; Ward Eel (interference), 14:20; Murano Pbt (boarding), 16:53.

2nd Period-4, Florida Eels, Bzovey 3 (ClIngerman, Ward), 7:14 (PP). Penalties-Kennedy Pbt (hooking), 0:23; Cederblom Pbt (cross-checking), 6:22; Synowski Pbt (holding), 13:09.

3rd Period-5, Florida Eels, Ward 4 (Carpenter), 1:38 (PP). 6, Florida Eels, Smyth 1 (Bzovey), 2:21. 7, Palm Beach Typhoon, Taskila 1 (Kennedy, Murano), 7:16 (PP). 8, Florida Eels, Dominique 1 (Bzovey, Evanyk), 9:55. 9, Florida Eels, Smyth 2 (Robb), 15:29. 10, Palm Beach Typhoon, Curry 2 (Zamiello, Jackson), 18:50. Penalties-Dunlap Pbt (indirect head contact), 1:25; Diaz Eel (interference), 6:25; Ward Eel (tripping), 16:28.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 9-22-13-44. Palm Beach Typhoon 16-8-14-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 0; Palm Beach Typhoon 3 / 0.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Selleck 1-1-0-0 (38 shots-34 saves). Palm Beach Typhoon, Libutti 1-1-0-0 (44 shots-38 saves).

 

 

This Elite team showed enormous fortitude and resolve. What character. They showed they were not going to be flustered and had the determination to come back from behind.

 

This was a solid weekend for the Eels. We complete the home and away series on Sunday at home. The Elite play at 10:30 am and the Premier at 1:00 pm Come and join us at the Fort Myers Skatium or on Hockey TV.