Demeed Podrezov The Most Prolific Player in the USPHL

Demeed Podrezov is truly the best forward in the league. The numbers tell it all. He has GP 12 Goals 12 Assists 17 Points 29. 2.42 points per game. Compare those ahead of him they have 3, 5, and 8 more games  than him. In the last 6 games he has 6 goals and  6 assists for12 points. In the last game he had a hat trick including 2 short handed goals on the same shift. He is an impact player.

He is a man amongst men and doing it right. With class poise and with unwavering intensity.

He won Player of the Week in several times  and Player of the Month for October.

What an incredible ambassador for the Florida Eels and the USPHL

Major Storm Warning Today at the Fort Myers Skatium When the Eels Take on The Tampa Juniors for Battle of West Coast Supremacy

Major Storm Warning Today at the Fort Myers Skatium When the Eels Take on The Tampa Juniors for Battle of West Coast Supremacy

Storms of this magnitude typically emanate from turbulence in the tropics. But here today, they develop from fierce and intense competition between the Florida Eels Junior Hockey Club and the Tampa Juniors. These two organizations have been amongst the best in the Florida Division over the past decade. The Eels have enjoyed first place most of those years and have advanced to the USPHL Nationals repeatedly. The Elite Division both the Eels and the Juniors have traded first place back and forth and National bids. Last season both the Premier and the Eels Elite teams held on to First Place the entire season.

The thunder erupted Friday evening when the Eels Premier team came storming into the Advent Center Ice and jolted the Tampa Juniors with a resounding 8-2 win. Tampa was in first place and the Eels took back what they called rightfully theirs. The Eels took no shift off. The Eels spread darkness all over the Tampa area and brought hurricane force winds within the arena. The Elite team equally made their mark. Despite spotting the Juniors a 4-1 first period the Elite guys came back, like a lingering hurricane in the Gulf, they propelled hard in the 2nd period with 5 goals to tie things up and in the 3rd period they again brought things all even 6-6 to be tipped in OT. The game showed that the Eels Elite were a team with unwavering resolve and commitment to win. This is especially impressive when you consider the Eels have 18 rookies on that squad. They brought all the energies and determination to the ice and came within inches to upset their first-place foes.

Today we can expect both Tampa teams to come roaring in with force to shake and rattle to the Skatium ice rink. No doubt the Tampa Premier is looking to avenge their 8-2 loss at the hands of the Eels. They are a solid club. Well coached and they posse 18 veteran players. They have enjoyed first place all season and “want it back.” But you know the Eels won’t be laying back sitting on their laurels. The Eels will be ready to take on the Tampa Juniors. Instead of taking yesterday off and enjoying their win, the Eels were hard at work breaking down every aspect of their game and recent wins. Winning is not happenstance. These boys take each and every opponent very serious. With instat they can and do break down every shift of every player and see what can be done to improve on it. We prepare like NCAA Div. 1 men’s teams. The Eels intend to rekindle their octane and fuel their fires. The result: One hell of a fire and ice storm expected today at 1:15 pm at the Fort Myers Skatium.

The Elite games ought to be equally thundering. The Eels want to prove they are better than a tie and they won’t let this game elude a win. Tampa wants to forget that the Eels were seconds and inches from a win. They won’t take the Eels lightly. They feel they had the Eels on the ropes at the end of the 1st period and they allowed them to stay alive. The Eels counter punch this theory by saying no way. We were asleep in the 1st period and feeling the effects of a 2 ½ hour bus ride and the real Eels team was there in the 2nd and 3rd periods. We shall see at today’s game 11:00 am drop of puck. Please join us live and support our guys or if you can’t join us on HockeyTV

The Florida Eels Premier Team Topples the Tampa Juniors 8-2 and Re-take First Place in their Division.

The Florida Eels Premier Team Topples the Tampa Juniors 8-2 and Re-take First Place in their Division.

 

The Eels continued their 4-game winning streak and extend their record to 10 – 2 on the season and with last night’s win over the Tampa Juniors they recaptured first place in the Florida Division.  In their last 4 games the Eels have scored 29 goals and allowed a stingy 7 goals. Last night we saw the Eels continue with an offensive tent attack on their opponents. They do so without sparing defense They continue to dominate on the blue line and in net. The GAA clearly reflect this. In is impressive to watch. Every line in is sync. Every player knows and accepts his responsibility. Their passing is crisp and on target. They drive hard to the net with deliberation and with a purpose.

 

Last night the Eels fired 34 missiles on the Juniors converting 8. Moreover, the 34 shots were serious scoring opportunities. This team is on a mission. The folks in the stands were in awe as they were in Atlanta were, they saw the Eels defeat the Madhatters twice with two 8 goal games  and their 3rd game they torpedoed 5.

 

One thing for sure is the Eels coach Frankie Scarpaci has his players heads in check. They are not overly confident or cocky so to speak. They break down period by period in between periods what is going right and their inequities. What needs to be improved. What we need to fix and close the gaps. He never accepts complacency. Today for example rather than take the day off he is breaking down video and talking with each player about adjustments. This team preforms surgery out there. They expect excellence. Moreover, the players buy in. It is not a cheerleading effort. They work 5 hours per day on ice off ice and in video. The success here is not taken for granted.

 

The Eels have 20 points whereas the Tampa Juniors have 18 points in 2nd place. The game on Sunday will determine if the Eels hold 1st place by themselves or share it with the Juniors.

 

Come join us tomorrow at the Fort Myers Skatium at 1:15 pm drop of puck or on HockeyTV. This will undoubtedly be a very exciting game.

 

Stats for yesterday’s game were as follows:

 

Florida Eels 8 at Tampa Bay Juniors 2 – Status: Final
Friday, November 13, 2020 – Advent Health Center Ice

Florida Eels 2 2 4 – 8
Tampa Bay Juniors 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Roost 9 (Swygert, Podrezov), 0:30. 2, Florida Eels, Dill 8 (Swygert, Zebley), 7:35. Penalties-Keenan Tbj (hooking), 5:29.

2nd Period-3, Florida Eels, Melikov 1 (Haddon- Harris, Gay), 11:41. 4, Tampa Bay Juniors, Stouffer 1 (Walker, Puterbaugh), 16:15. 5, Florida Eels, Zebley 8 (Dill, Court), 18:58 (PP). Penalties-served by Espinasse Eel (bench -too many players on the ice), 5:19; McNeish Eel (tripping), 12:53; Zimmermann Tbj (hooking), 17:20.

3rd Period-6, Florida Eels, Podrezov 10 (Court), 1:52 (SH). 7, Florida Eels, Podrezov 11 (Court, Melikov), 2:16 (SH). 8, Florida Eels, Patterson 2 (Dill, Court), 4:28. 9, Florida Eels, Podrezov 12 (McNeish, Dill), 15:05 (PP). 10, Tampa Bay Juniors, Walker 2 (Johnson), 18:39. Penalties-Maroszek Eel (tripping), 1:12; Heller Tbj (holding), 12:40; Hansen Tbj (cross-checking), 14:02; Castonguay Eel (high-sticking), 15:52.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 9-10-15-34. Tampa Bay Juniors 3-17-8-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 4; Tampa Bay Juniors 0 / 4.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Caron 6-1-0-0 (28 shots-26 saves). Tampa Bay Juniors, Kujawski 6-1-0-0 (34 shots-26 saves).

The Eels Elite Team Make A Dramatic Come Back to Earn a Tie vs 1st Place Tampa Juniors.

The Eels Elite Team Make  A Dramatic Come Back to Earn a Tie vs 1st Place Tampa Juniors. 

 

The Eels Elite team showed enormous character and determination last night. Tampa got the better of us in the 1st period having gone down 4-1 heading into the 2nd period was a daunting task.  Most folks would have counted us out. But that was not the marching order from our coaches nor our players. We knew we had to dig ourselves out from a 3-goal deficit. That was obvious.  That was a herculean task indeed. But saying it and doing it are entirely different . It takes determination and fortitude. It requires such inner strength from deep inside. It requires believability.  It comes from hard work during the week. It comes from developing and instilling mental toughness.  Well anyone watching this game sees it is readily apparent the Eels had all those intangibles.  It is time to believe!!!!!!

 

Clearly this was not a game you judge a team by a win, lose or draw. It was watching this game in its entirety gets you to understand this team and its player development model. In the 2nd period when most counted us out, the Eels Elite came back and scored 4 goals to tie the game 5-5. Wow wow wow. In the 3rd period Tampa went up, but the Eels responded with one of their own again bringing it all even 6-6. The game went into OT and Tampa scored to capture  the win and the Eels garnered one point to earn a tie.

 

This was indeed such an exciting game. Yes, we were disappointed we did not gain the win but the way we played and came back showed enormous resolve and this builds character and team identity. The experience here will prove huge dividends in our future. We expect another exciting game back at the Skatium on Sunday. Game time is 11:00 AM drop of puck. Join us live or on Hockey TV

 

Florida Eels 6 at Tampa Bay Juniors 7 (OT) – Status: Final OT1
Friday, November 13, 2020 – Advent Health Center Ice

Florida Eels 1 4 1 0 – 6
Tampa Bay Juniors 3 2 1 1 – 7

1st Period-1, Tampa Bay Juniors, Custable 6 (Bahula, Fleer), 3:36. 2, Tampa Bay Juniors, Bahula 15 (Kuba, Fleer), 11:22. 3, Florida Eels, Zebley 6   12:53. 4, Tampa Bay Juniors, Robbins 2 (Walker), 17:50. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period-5, Tampa Bay Juniors, Campo 2 (Walker, Lewis), 3:18. 6, Florida Eels, Haas 1 (Zebley, Rioux), 3:30. 7, Tampa Bay Juniors, Bahula 16 (Custable, Kuba), 7:23. 8, Florida Eels, Harrop 11 (Clift), 8:21. 9, Florida Eels, Zebley 7 (Rioux), 8:48. 10, Florida Eels, Harrop 12   13:39. Penalties-Bahula Tbj (tripping), 4:23; Harrop Eel (cross-checking), 17:43.

3rd Period-11, Tampa Bay Juniors, Bahula 17 (Fleer, Campo), 6:38. 12, Florida Eels, Simbro 1 (Huitt), 9:50. Penalties-Clift Eel (cross-checking), 13:01; Robbins Tbj (roughing), 15:48.

1st OT Period-13, Tampa Bay Juniors, Cullen 2 (Jorge), 1:24. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 8-22-13-1-44. Tampa Bay Juniors 20-12-7-2-41.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 0 / 2; Tampa Bay Juniors 0 / 2.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Mork 2-1-2-0 (41 shots-34 saves). Tampa Bay Juniors, Leigh 6-0-0-0 (44 shots-38 saves).

Weekend Round Up Eels vs Tampa Juniors

Friday Eels Premier and Elite Travel To Tampa to Square Off vs the Tampa Juniors 

12 Nov by Frank Scarpaci

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It has been since September that the Tampa Juniors and the Eels faced off. The two clubs are neck on neck tied for 1st place in the Premier Division and the Eels slightly edged out by the Tampa Elite team. These two clubs play every game and every series as though they are playoff games.
Friday night the Premier squad plays at 5:30 pm drop of puck 5:00 pm warm up.
The Elite guys play immediately after at 8:00 pm
On Sunday the two clubs square off against one another at home at the Fort Myers Skatium
The Elite team drop of puck at 11:00 am warm up at 10:30 am where as the Premier drop of puck is at 1:15 pm
Join us at the games or on HockeyTV

Boston Showcase in January is Canceled Change in Schedule

All Games Have Been Re-scheduled

** USPHL Florida / Southern Division Update ** U.S. Premier Hockey League Confirms Southern Division Schedule

 

November 11, 2020 – U.S. Premier Hockey League (USPHL) Florida / Southern Season Update. To ensure all teams complete games as scheduled, the USPHL will regionalize the full 2020-21 season schedule for the Florida / Southern Divisions. This shift will allow our teams to complete all games in a full season. Additionally, while the USPHL Winter Showcase in Boston, MA is currently canceled, the Florida /Southern Division will keep the showcases in Estero, FL, December 18th – 20th, 2020, and Raleigh, NC January 29th – 31st, 2021 as scheduled.

The USPHL League will reassess any continued impact of COVID-19 in January or February and make a determination at that time as to whether they will reschedule the Boston Showcase.

The USPHL winter showcase games will be made up by playing one game against Atlanta, Charleston, Tampa and the Jr Blades.

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THIS MAJOR CHANGE IN THE SCHEDULE PLAYERS ARE NOT FLYING INTO BOSTON FOR THE JANUARY SHOWCASE AS THAT SHOWCASE HAS BEEN CANCELED. PLAYERS ARE EXPECTED TO FLY INTO FORT MYERS. ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 4TH 2021. WE REGRET ANY INCONVENIENCE BUT THE RESTRICTIONS AND LIMITATIONS IMPOSED IN MASSACHUSETTS AND OTHER NEW ENGLAND STATES DICTATED THIS CHANGE. 

USPHL Reaffirms Commitment To 2020-21 Season

USPHL Reaffirms Commitment To 2020-21 Season 

By USPHL Staff, 11/11/20, 9:00AM EST

By USPHL Staff

 

The United States Premier Hockey League is committed to completing the 2020-21 season and will do so while working within State and Federal Guidelines to ensure the safest hockey environment possible for its players, coaches, and spectators.

 

The USPHL Board of Governors will undertake a series of virtual meetings in January to review further adjustments to the USPHL’s division schedules, including the possibility of extending the season to ensure the completion of the season.

 

About The USPHL

 

The United States Premier Hockey League of 2020-21 is the nation’s largest amateur ice hockey league and the only league to span the continental United States and parts of Canada. The USPHL will field approximately 550 teams representing over 100 organizations comprised of 11,000 players spanning the ages of 6 through 20.

 

Overall, across all its divisions, the USPHL had more than 1,200 alumni playing college hockey in 2019-20 and more than 250 playing pro hockey, including in the NHL.

Florida Eels Weekend Round Up in Atlanta

The Florida Eels Weekend Ice Cap in Atlanta

 

The Florida Eels Premier team swept the Madhatters in their 3-game series in Atlanta. The Eels went on an offensive onslaught from the drop of the puck in game one. The Eels win game one by a score of 8-0 and game two by a score of 8-4 and then eclipsed the  games by closing out the weekend 5-1.  All cylinders were firing indeed. Equally impressive was the defensive play keeping the margin to under 2 goals against. It was a very impressive performance across the board with many guys getting on the scorecard and many others insuring that Atlanta didn’t. The goaltending was solid especially two incredible performances by Alex Caron who earned a shutout and a stingy one goal in his other debut.

 

On the Elite side the boys came away with 3 out of 6 points. Considering they played 3 games in 24 hours and came off the bus after a 9-hour drive to play their first game, we were quite satisfied with their effort and performance.  This was their first major road trip as a team, and we had 21 new players on this team. So, there was a learning curve here and the experience will boast well for these guys individually and as a team. Indeed, this type of experience will speak volumes when you consider we travel back to Atlanta, up to Charleston and up to Raleigh NC for the January showcase.

 

In game one the Eels lost in overtime 5-4, lost game two 4-1 and won the third game 6-3.

The players grew considerably over the weekend. It was a tough grueling experience and to come out with a win in game 3 was impressive. Atlanta has a solid Elite team. They are fast very physical and can score. The Eels were able to adapt and come out with a win in game three. That is the surprising take on the weekend. Moreover, the  Madhatters had 4 members of their Premier team.

 

We expect that the players will grow and move to the Next Level.

Florida Eels Premier Team Defeats the Madhatters in Game Two of the Weekend Series

Two Impressive Wins Over the Madhatters 3rd Game Monday Morning

The Eels defeat the Madhatters in game 2 of the 3 game weekend. The Eels picked up where they left off in scoring putting 8 behind the Atlanta Goalies. The Eels were once again red hot with their scoring matching yesterday’s offensive onslaught. Ouch indeed. You could see the fire in the Eels players’ eyes. They had an even more jump in today’s game as they had a night’s rest at the hotel. Keep in mind in game one the Eels had come off the bus and had to play.

The Madhatters did manage to get on the score board. They too were a very determined team and their coaching staff was not going to accept another shutout. They had a solid performance putting 4 behind the Eels Goalie O’Gwen. This was a good Madhatters team. Don’t let  the score fool you. They have some very talented players and they have an excellent coaching staff. They are young and doing it right.. They have an excellent player development model and can compete with anyone in the Division and league. The reality is some times you run up against a hot team and this weekend the Eels were just that. Smoldering.

Monday the two teams go at it once again. they finish the trilogy of games. We are sure the Madhatters are looking to avenge their 2 losses at the hands of the Eels Premier team. The Eels coaches are fully aware it is very difficult to win three straight games against any team. So they will be ready for an Atlanta counter offensive. No doubt this will be another exciting game for the two squads.

Madhatters Edged Eels Elite in OT 5-4

Eels Showed enormous resolve with dramatic come back to bring their game to OT

The Eels made a strong come back with a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd period. You could see it in their 1st and 2nd period play they had bus legs and were lagging a bit behind. But the Eels conditioning brought them alive and they sparked energies.

The Eels actually stormed back to take the lead 4-3 but the refs called a penalty on the Eels with seconds before the final whistle.. However the pesky Atlanta team had something to say about this and capitalized on a power play and Madhatters scored to bring it to OT. The Madhatters elapsed the Eels with a breakaway on their 3-3 and won.
The Eels though not happy with the loss were glad to come out with a tie garnering 1 point after a day long trip from Florida.
The Eels are looking to avenge their OT loss today with a double header. The Eels play game 2 of the weekend at 11:30 am and their 3rd game at 8:45 pm

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