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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.

The USPHL Premier Nationals

We start the regular season with 70 plus teams in various Divisions Premier and Elite

A lot to be proud of by all the teams who made their Divisional playoffs and for those who advanced to Nationals This has been even more challenging in the Covid year

Congrats to all of our teams in the league

For the

Florida Eels Junior Hockey

Premier team we were here amongst the Divisional playoff championship teams 16 to be exact Yes 16 great teams and now we are down to Four

The semifinals

Wow

Florida Eels Junior Hockey have made it to the Semifinals This is truly an honor

But we are not done

Our players and coaches are poised and continue to work overtime on preparation for the hurculean task ahead of them

But this is what we have been working for and on all year long This is not foreign to us

44 league games 240 practices as many gym sets and countless video training and analytics

I have never seen my team or any other junior team more dialed in more determined to take it all .

There is a unique bond. From guys across the USA Canada and Europe a typical Eels team all who share the unwavering commitment collectively as a team with the common mission Win Nationals

We are Proud of you guys

Thanks

Coach Frank

The Eels came once again to play and i mean play and that is exactly what they did as they handed the NY Aviators their 2nd loss of the Nationals and earn the Eels their  second win at Nationals. This was huge indeed. In fact this was a bit more challenging than yesterday’s win over the MJDP.  Indeed, the score at the end of the 1st period was 0-0 and the Aviators were holding the Eels feet to the fire as the score remained scoreless.

The Eels had to make several adjustments in this game and things were a bit askew. But within short order they found their game and came on hard and opened things up right quickly.

Once they opened up the scoring the Eels found their grove and they were back in sync. Before long the game got a bit chippy and penalties  ensured by both teams as they traded 5 minute majors at different junctures. In fact, the Aviators capitalized on their 5 minute major scoring their lone goal of the game.

The Eels on the other hand continued to press and they simply had too much fire power for the Aviators to stall. The Eels went into their patterned  offensive onslaught and unleashed their high octane attack that opened things up at the seems and delivered a huge win.

The Eels play on Sunday taking on the remaining team in their pool bracket to determine who advances to the semi finals.

Scoring went as follows:

Florida Eels 0 3 2 – 5
New York Aviators 0 1 0 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Santarelli Nya (tripping), 11:46; Malakyan Eel (roughing), 14:04.

2nd Period-1, Florida Eels, Goral 2 (Malakyan, Tourchot), 2:23. 2, Florida Eels, Gerstein 1 (Roost, Podrezov), 3:15 (PP). 3, Florida Eels, Gerstein 2 (Haddon- Harris, Roost), 13:39 (PP). 4, New York Aviators, Munoz 1 (Santarelli, Albrecht), 19:27 (PP). Penalties-Jaldung Nya (elbowing), 2:43; Espinasse Eel (high-sticking), 7:54; Jaldung Nya (slashing), 13:22; Espinasse Eel (major -contact to the head), 17:53.

3rd Period-5, Florida Eels, Stewart 1   12:23. 6, Florida Eels, Belgrave 4 (Haddon- Harris), 16:24 (SH EN). Penalties-Rundle Nya (kneeing), 5:10; Goral Eel (slashing), 7:47; Beckman Nya (holding), 7:47; Tynan Nya (tripping), 11:06; Maroszek Eel (major -boarding), 12:12; Chatwin Nya (major -contact to the head, disqualficaton), 17:32.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 17-12-14-43. New York Aviators 15-11-8-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 6; New York Aviators 1 / 4.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Caron (34 shots-33 saves). New York Aviators, Marino (42 shots-38 saves).

Florida Eels forward Josh Belgrave came alive and exploded for 3 goals (hat trick( leading the Eels to a 6-1 win over the MJPD. While Eels net minder slayed the door shut letting in a stingy one goal backstopping his team to clear and convincing win in their first game of the Nationals.

The Eels are a difficult team to read.  They play a very unique style utilizing  a multitude of weapons in their arsenal to defeat teams. Today was a good example of this. In the first period the Eels sent out a high flying air attack with its high octane wingers attacking the offensive zone and center ice men first on the forecheck and puck retrieval. They have 4 lines deep of forwards and defense,  and they bring on a systematic and continuous onslaught that wears down its opponents.

Then if that doesn’t wear you down, the Eels coaches unleash the ground forces along the boards and in the corners to physically wear the opponents down. You can see the fatigue factor setting in.

This has been the dominant  presence in each game throughout the season. To say the boys play a high tempo intense game is the understatement fo the year. The players are dialed in and bought in what the coaches teach. It isn’t easy to play for the Eels. You have to be willing to have the selfless unwavering commitment to win and do what ever it takes  to do this , be it block shots, smothering and suffocating back checking  and a relentless  fore-check.

Today we were successful 6-1. Tomorrow we expect the same effort and determination.

Scoring for the Eels went as follows:

MJDP 1 at Florida Eels 6 – Status: Final
Thursday, March 18, 2021 – Chilled Ponds Sentara Healthcare Rink

MJDP 0 0 1 – 1
Florida Eels 2 1 3 – 6

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Pinimyasov 1 (Roost), 6:01 (PP). 2, Florida Eels, Belgrave 1 (Patterson), 9:26. Penalties-Ieuter Mjdp (hooking), 2:00; Hartwell Mjdp (tripping), 5:34.

2nd Period-3, Florida Eels, Belgrave 2 (Stewart, Malakyan), 11:00. Penalties-Hartwell Mjdp (major -kneeing, game misconduct), 14:27.

3rd Period-4, Florida Eels, Goral 1 (Haddon- Harris), 4:04. 5, Florida Eels, Belgrave 3 (Goral), 4:43. 6, MJDP, Mocnik 1 (Hellman, Washburn), 9:29 (PP). 7, Florida Eels, Moore 1 11:15. Penalties-Stewart Eel (elbowing), 8:41; Gerstein Eel (tripping), 18:36.

Shots on Goal-MJDP 5-9-15-29. Florida Eels 10-13-9-32.
Power Play Opportunities-MJDP 1 / 2; Florida Eels 1 / 4.
Goalies-MJDP, Fisher (32 shots-26 saves). Florida Eels, Caron (29 shots-28 saves).

Florida Eels Forward Tristan Roost Commits to NCAA Division III Lebanon Valley Men’s Ice Hockey team for the 2021-22 Season.

 

Congratulations is in order for Florida Eels forward Tristan Roost as he lays out his academic and athletic plans for the next 4 years with NCAA Division III Lebanon Valley  This is very exciting indeed. Tristan a Fort Myers native is 5’8” 160 lbs. shoots right and has one of the most lethal and accurate wrist shots in junior hockey.  He has played in the USPHL for the last 4 seasons. Tristan has played in 166 games where he accumulated 53 goals and notched 94 assists. This season he joined the Florida Eels Premier team where he blossomed as a player and amassed an impressive 24 goals and garnered 31 helpers. Roost is a highly skilled forward who grew immensely under the Eels program. He developed an insatiable appetite to score evidencing half his goals in 4 years were garnered this season. Tristan has strong skill set. He handles the puck very well. He has excellent vision and plays with a high compete level. Roost played top minutes with the Eels including a key ingredient on the power play and penalty kill.

 

Tristan is very excited about becoming a LVC Dutchmen. He got to know LVC head coach Don Parsons over the past several years. He knows Coach Parsons is all business. Tristan has thrived under the Eels with such a coaching philosophy and is looking forward to playing for a proven and respected coach like Coach Parsons. And the accolades run both ways. What impressed LVU head coach Don Parsons was Roost’s unwavering commitment to win. He gives 100% from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer.  He wears determination on his sleeve.  What is equally impressive to Coach Parsons is that in 4 seasons playing juniors in the USPHL Roost is almost devoid of any penalty minutes. In fact, this season alone he does not have one infraction. Despite his high tempo game in the four seasons played in the USPHL, he only has 34 minutes in penalties in total.

 

Premier Coach Frankie Scarpaci echoes that Tristan is an impact player. He believes Roost will step into the LVC NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey  team and have an immediate impact. He will buy into any system thrown at him. He has great work ethic and will do whatever is necessary to help his team compete and win games. GM Scarpaci notes, that Roost was selected to the USPHL Hub City All Star team this winter and he shined there as well. He was very noticeable even amongst the league All Stars. This is a high character young man who will do very well in college. We are very proud of Tristan and know he will excel in college and on the hockey program. We wish Tristan the best.

 

USPHL Premier 2021 National Championships Preview: Florida Eels 

 

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com

 

The Florida Eels are a regular at the USPHL Premier National Championships tournament and they enter the event this season with a formidable squad that got a bit of a jump on the playoff mentality.

The Eels battled Tampa for supremacy in the Florida Division and that quest didn’t end until the buzzer sounded for the final time on the season and playing a lot of important games down the stretch might have been beneficial when they headed into playoffs last weekend.

The Eels finished the season 25-points in front of the Atlanta Mad Hatters, but Head Coach Frank Scarpaci III knew that meant little going into a best-of-three set against a team that had already proven it could stick with the Eels in a 60-minute contest.

“The Hatters came a long way since the beginning of the season and brought in some key pieces that made them very competitive,” said Scarpaci, in an email interview. “We felt our depth would eventually overwhelm them as long as we were playing the way we knew we were capable of.

“The weekend before, we had a three-game stretch in which we could overtake first place and get the Mad Hatters (as a playoff opponent) and we felt that match-up could lean in our favor.”

Scarpaci feels good about the way his team is playing now, having regrouped from a season that saw them at times look inconsistent.

“For a bit, we were struggling to play consistent hockey,” said Scarpaci. “You’d see us go through stretches of playing really well for two games and then just not even close to our capability.

“We had a three-game series against Charleston that we really didn’t like and the following week we had a Showcase that was just not to our standards. We had a meeting to right the ship and played a really strong game, beating Hampton and we have been really building since then. To me, it’s a night and day difference from where our team was a month ago, and where we’re at right now.

“Our team identity is a group that is focused on defending together as a whole and attacking in waves, line-by-line.” said Scarpaci. “We have a deep, offensively gifted group that can be relentless on the attack.”

Wrapping up the berth on the first weekend gave the Eels a chance to prepare specifically for Nationals now, but Scarpaci looked forward to knowing his opponents as this weekend’s playoff series finish up.

“The uncertainty of who we play is going to be a challenge for our team and coaching staff, but a challenge everyone will be going through,” said Scarpaci. “Our focus from here out will be sharpening our game on what we do well and what we will be able to use against all opponents.

“Every team at Nationals will be a contender, so we want to make sure our strengths are our strengths.”

Florida Eels 2021 Nationals Schedule

(All games to be played at Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex, Chesapeake, Va.)

Thurs., March 18, 10:40 a.m., vs. Midwest East 1st Seed

Fri., March 19, 9:10 p.m. vs. Mid-Atlantic 2nd Seed

Sat., March 20, 3:50 p.m. vs. Midwest West 2nd Seed

 

The Florida Eels Win Over the Tampa Juniors  in the final game of the regular season clinched the USPHL Florida Division Championship in the Premier Division

It took 44 games to determined who finished in first place. What an incredible ru. The Eels and the Tampa Juniors were going back and forth in the standings. It all came down to the 44th game and that game was between no other than Tampa and the Eels.

The Eels won it cleanly and were crowned the Florida Division Champions and 1st seed over all in the USPHL Playoffs.

Congrats guys.

The Florida Eels defeated the Atlanta Madhatters in two straight games and now will represent the USPHL Florida Division as the Number One Seed in the USPHL Nationals. The Nationals will be held at the Hampton Road’s Rink in VA. The Nationals will run March 18-22, 2021. There are  16 teams  made up of 4 pools of 4 teams from around the USA representing all the Premier Divisions.

There will be a round robin set of games Thursday Friday and Saturday. Each team in the bracket will play one another. Then on Sunday the winners of each bracket will square off in a semi final set of games. The Final game will be on Monday for the Championship.

venue: 1416 Stephanie Way, Chesapeake, VA 23320

Congrats to the Florida Eels Premier Team. They defeated the Atlanta Madhatters in 2 straight games. As the number one seed in the playoffs that win earned them the number one seed from the Florida Division advancing to Nationals. This recognizes the Eels as the Playoff Champions in the USPHL Florida Division Champions. Very impressive guys.

This is the Eels 4th straight trip to Nationals at the Premier Division for Florida Eels Head Coach Frankie Scarpaci. This is a record for the Eels organization. In fact Coach Scarpaci has taken his Eels Premier team and previously the Eels Elite team to a record number as his tenure as a coach. He is a task master in coaching. He has enormous passion for the game and is one of the most dedicated coaches in Junior hockey.

The Eels Premier  team is heading to Nationals in Virginia March 18-22 2021 as the Number One Seed from the Florida Division.

1416 Stephanie Way, Chesapeake, VA 23320