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Today the Florida Eels take on the Jr Blades at Hertz Arena

 

In the second showdown in as many weeks the Florida Eels take on their cross-town rivals the Jr. Blades. The Elite team squares off at 5:00 pm while the Premier team kicks off at 8:00 pm

Both contests are being hosted by the Jr. Blades at their home rink Hertz Arena . This is the 2nd set of games between the two organizations of the early season. Last weekend the Eels Elite defeated the Blades 4-2 while the Premier team bested the Blades by a score of 6-4.

 

No doubt as always, these two teams bring out the best in one another. Indeed, it is considered by many the best rivalry in Junior hockey. On Saturday the two divisions will square off again at Hertz Arena for an unusual pair of away games for the Eels.

 

The Eels have a many returning veterans and familiar faces but also boast about a 50% ratio. So please join us in support of our guys at Hertz. In fact, the USPHL is about the only sporting venue in Florida and the Southeast that fans are allowed to come and watch live.

 

If you cannot make it join us on HockeyTV

Well the Florida Eels Premier team is back and looking to present an exciting season. The Eels host many new faces. Their first test was against the Tampa Juniors in their season opener at Advent Health Center in Wesley Chapel (Tampa) Florida. The Eels with many new faces – 14 new players. Compared to Tampa who has 18 veteran returners. Unlike previous seasons we did not get the chance to scrimmage the local college teams such as FGCU, the University of Tampa, the University of South Florida and others.   Moreover, the Eels had 11 rookies  so there is a learning curve here. So, it was a case of first impression for us. We had a feeling out process.

 

The coaches were very happy with the foundation. The skill set was high, and the effort and determination were present and most of all, the boys played with a high compete level. But the systems were a bit off. The cohesiveness that the Eels are known for was a bit absent. It will take a bit of time being so many new guys, but we know what was there. In fact, the Eels actually controlled the play and out played Tampa 90%of the game. It was a few lapse moments and a timing or two that cost us. You cannot make those mistakes against a veteran and experienced team like Tampa without paying the price.

 

The coaches had a short turnaround time (less than 24 hours) and regrouped the guys. And that we did. We played the Blades at home for our home opener. And the boys came out on fire. The Eels lit the lamp with only 10 seconds into the game and then struck again with only 17 seconds into the game. In the end the Eels down the Blades 6-4. Here we saw a game with a familiar Eels lethal attack, an extremely aggressive fore-check and their patterned smothering back check. We still see areas of improvement. Of course, It was only our 2ndgame. Indeed, we have quite a few new guys and rookies but that is what our coaches do best. Our objective is the develop players to advance to College.

 

This week we have a pair of games against the Jr. Blades  Friday and Saturday games at Hertz Arena. No doubt the Blades will be looking to avenge their losses from last weekend against the Tampa Juniors and the Florida Eels. The Eels are looking to gain some more day light in the standings and close the gap with Tampa. If you are in the area please join us, otherwise tune in to HockeyTV.

 

Summary Score Card of Weekend Games.

 

Florida Eels 3 at Tampa Bay Juniors 5 – Status: Final
Saturday, September 19, 2020 – Advent Health Center Ice

Florida Eels 1 1 1 – 3
Tampa Bay Juniors 1 0 4 – 5

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Roost 1 (Espinasse, Goral), 8:12. 2, Tampa Bay Juniors, Lucas 3 (Frenkel), 16:53. Penalties-Espinasse Eel (elbowing), 2:58; Barrington Tbj (tripping), 3:28; Chadwell Tbj (slashing), 15:02; Maroszek Eel (holding the stick), 16:53; Flidr Tbj (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period-3, Florida Eels, Podrezov 1 (Court), 0:23 (PP). Penalties-Walker Tbj (cross-checking), 6:44; Wawrzkiewicz Tbj (tripping), 15:20.

3rd Period-4, Tampa Bay Juniors, Esposito 1 (Johnson, Reed), 0:40. 5, Tampa Bay Juniors, Anderson 1 (Lucas, Frenkel), 4:27 (PP). 6, Tampa Bay Juniors, Johnson 2 (Anderson), 14:02 (SH). 7, Florida Eels, Zebley 1 (Maroszek), 15:10 (PP). 8, Tampa Bay Juniors, Courneya 1 (Stouffer, Wawrzkiewicz), 19:27. Penalties-Castonguay Eel (roughing, roughing), 3:24; Kaebel Tbj (roughing), 3:24; Walker Tbj (major -high-sticking), 10:31.

Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 5-11-6-22. Tampa Bay Juniors 11-11-16-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 2 / 6; Tampa Bay Juniors 1 / 3.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Caron 1-1-0-0 (38 shots-33 saves). Tampa Bay Juniors, Kujawski 2-0-0-0 (22 shots-19 saves).

 

 

 

Florida Junior Blades 4 at Florida Eels 6 – Status: Final
Sunday, September 20, 2020 – Fort Myers Skatium

Florida Junior Blades 3 1 0 – 4
Florida Eels 3 1 2 – 6

1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Roost 2 (Espinasse, Voyda), 0:10. 2, Florida Eels, Podrezov 2 (Zebley, Dill), 0:17. 3, Florida Junior Blades, Walters 1 (Weingartner, Fata), 4:36. 4, Florida Eels, Goral 1 (Roost, Court), 9:02. 5, Florida Junior Blades, Weingartner 1 (Lindholm), 15:02. 6, Florida Junior Blades, Lindholm 1 (Fata), 15:36 (PP). Penalties-Maynard Fjb (tripping), 13:31; Goral Eel (hooking), 14:28; Wooldridge Fjb (roughing, roughing), 16:01; Caravella Eel (roughing), 16:01; Espinasse Eel (tripping), 19:05; Voyda Eel (major -charging, game misconduct), 19:05.

2nd Period-7, Florida Junior Blades, Weingartner 2 (Lindholm, Fata), 1:04 (PP). 8, Florida Eels, Dill 1 (Podrezov, Bregante), 18:02 (PP). Penalties-Humble Eel (tripping), 4:18; Zebley Eel (tripping), 7:50; Goral Eel (tripping), 11:26; Blake Fjb (holding), 13:58; Fata Fjb (slashing), 16:15.

3rd Period-9, Florida Eels, Zebley 2 (Maroszek, Bregante), 12:05. 10, Florida Eels, Jankauskas 1 (McNeish, Swygert), 12:21. Penalties-Lindholm Fjb (high-sticking), 3:15; Caravella Eel (tripping), 5:33; McGovern Fjb (slashing), 9:16; Gay Eel (high-sticking), 9:16; Walters Fjb (roughing, roughing, game misconduct), 16:51; Podrezov Eel (roughing, roughing, game misconduct), 16:51.

Shots on Goal-Florida Junior Blades 15-18-8-41. Florida Eels 14-13-14-41.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Junior Blades 2 / 0; Florida Eels 1 / 0.
Goalies-Florida Junior Blades, Wise 0-2-0-0 (41 shots-35 saves). Florida Eels, Caron 1-1-0-0 (41 shots-37 saves).

This weekend the Florida Eels Premier and Elite teams have their season openers on Saturday September 19th at the Advent Arena in Wesley Chapel (Tampa) Florida. The Elite team plays first at noon and the Premier team squares off at 2:45 pm. These two organizations have battled it out year after year for over a decade. Last season the Eels Premier team dominated first place the entire season and ended the year 20 points ahead of Tampa’s Premier team. Both teams finished strong in the Florida Division playoff round and advanced to Nationals.

 

The Elite team also owned first place in their Division  the entire season. Tampa and the Eels were edged out at playoffs with a surprising upset by Atlanta over Tampa and Charleston over the Eels in a best of 3 in the initial playoff round.

 

Suffice it to say the history between these two organizations have been very competitive. In fact, each regular season game is like a final determinative playoff game. We can expect both the Premier and Elite teams from both the Elite and Premier teams to be equally competitive this season. There are a lot of unknowns here being the first game of the season and many new faces. There Eels have been training for 3 weeks but there is nothing like getting you back into the grove of things than playing in actual league games.

 

On Sunday the Eels play host to the Florida Junior Blades at the Fort  Myers Skatium for the Eels home openers. We are all very excited to get this season underway. The Skatium does allow spectators so long as the folks practice certain CDC, USPHL and Eels protocols. This does include social distancing, six feet apart and wearing of face-coverings and or facemask for all spectators.

 

Sunday the Elite team plays first at 10:30 am puck drop. The Premier team plays 2nd at 1:00 pm puck drop. No doubt these two teams bring the best they have to the games. They are always very competitive games, quite very lively and extremely spirited. Typically, they are well attended by fans from both organizations. So social distancing will be strictly adhered to. Last season the Jr Blades Elite team missed the playoffs finishing 5thoverall. The Jr Blades Premier team finished the season in 4th place and were eliminated in 2 games by their cross-town rivals – the Florida Eels who finished the season in first place.

 

Again, as with all junior programs last year was last season. Each organization and team add many new faces and skills set. Moreover, the Blades have a totally new coaching staff. We trust these boys will be ready to battle against the Eels.

 

The Florida Eels coaching staff know full well last season’s accomplishments and heights are just that Last year. It is history for all intents and purposes. The Eels coaches won’t allow its players to sit on their laurels and accept complacency nor feel entitled. To the contrary  they have worked very hard over the last 3 weeks both on the ice, in the gym, additional fitness training and video analysis.

 

Please join us at the Skatium live if you are in town, or on Hockey TV for all the weekend games.

The USPHL’s Florida Premier Division saw familiarity at the top last season but some great battles for the remaining spots.

The Florida Eels rubbed shoulders with the best in the league last season and as a result, dominated the Florida standings. But with just eight points separating second from fourth in the final standings, the battle down the stretch was fantastic – for fans, and nerve-wracking for coaches.

The Eels and Tampa Bay Juniors earned the two National Championship berths for the division, but the Charleston Colonials and Florida Jr. Blades made them earn those spots.

All five teams fared well at Showcase events showing this was a Division to be reckoned with.

Here’s a look at the five Florida Division teams heading into a new season, in alphabetical order:

 

Atlanta MadHatters

After a busy off-season that included hiring new staff members and bringing in good players to support the returners, the MadHatters and Head Coach Paul Flache are excited to get the 2020-21 season started.

“We are excited to bring a fast paced, detailed, possession game every night to a very competitive Florida Division” said Coach Flache. “It’s like a whole new organization compared to last year.”

Some of the MadHatters’ top returning players also chipped in their two cents, including Josh Mesaros, Sam Adler and NCDC draft pick Owen Larson, who was selected by the Northern Cyclones in May.

“I’m really looking forward to the start of the season,” said Larson. “I’m excited to build off the season I had last year and boost my confidence. This year’s team has great potential and we’re all looking forward to a great season.”

 

Charleston Colonials

The Premier Colonials enjoyed a successful first season in 2019-20. Ultimately, a .500 finish (21-21-2-0) saw the Colonials battling for the runners up spot for much of the season before being edged out by Tampa down the stretch. The same pair met in the postseason, the Juniors earning the edge and ultimately snatching the National Championship berth.

New Head Coach Nate Weossner hopes to pick up where the team left off last season and create another great regular season battle this time around for an even higher position.

“We have a good amount of returners coming back. Nick Popp and Luke MacLeod are a couple guys who have really taken a leadership role and have run with it. I’m looking forward to see how guys like Chris Curtis, Nick Kaye and Jake Holston grow their game as we progress. In net we have a good situation with Kolin Grogesky, Blake Mons and Patrick Villain,” added Weossner.

 

Florida Eels

“2020 has been a year other than normalcy,” summed up the Florida Eels Owner/GM Frank Scarpaci. The Eels generally spend a busy off-season recruiting on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but with the health issues of this year, things have changed a bit.

“Rather than attending the 10 customary postseason showcases and recruiting across the U.S., Canada and Europe, we had to recruit virtually,” Scarpaci added. “We had to rely on past scouting and dozens upon dozens of Zoom sessions and video-conferencing and hundreds of telephone conferences. The USPHL Combines were used as a vehicle as well.”

The result of long days of scouring videos and making connections, said Scarpaci, is a team that could be its strongest yet.

“We have approximately 20 returners and an additional 30 new recruits [between the Premier and Elite teams],” Scarpaci said.

Last season both Florida Eels Premier and Elite team owned first place in the tough Florida Divisions the entire season and Scarpaci says the blueprint remains the same this season.

 

Florida Jr. Blades

The Florida Jr. Blades Premier squad grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot a year ago and missed out at the Elite level.

A new staff including Premier Head Coach Rob Weingartner is anxious to help the team move up in the tough Florida Divisions.

“Being a new coaching staff for the Jr. Blades, Assistant Coach Brian Jacque and myself are excited to get the season started,” said Weingartner. “Like everyone else, the recruiting season has been a different approach for coaches since the camps were limited. The USPHL has done an amazing job keeping up with protocols and regulations and we can’t be more excited to get hockey started again.”

Goaltender Keegan Wise returns, while fellow Blades veterans Dylan Hultberg, Ashton King, Cody Colgrove are joined by many with junior experience including Kyle Lindholm, Joey Fata, Bennett Blake, Nolan Manicki and Quinn Roadhouse will also provide leadership.

Also watch for ‘03 Zach Pappas, a defenseman with a good stride, hard-working Bailey Kaiser and Carson Weingartner, who has 64 points in 97 career junior games.

 

Tampa Bay Juniors

The Tampa Bay Juniors Premier team enters the 2020-21 season looking to make Nationals for a second year in a row with Head Coach Garrett Strot once again behind the bench.

The juniors return eight forwards from last season’s team, including leader scorer Stanley Lucas. Czech forward Paul Flidr returns for his third season and the franchise leader in games played, Zach Puterbaugh is back for a fourth season.

On the back end, the Juniors are even deeper with a solid group of returning defenders.

“I think our defensive depth is the best we’ve ever had, led by John Heller, Parker Chadwell, Carter Hansen and newcomers like Jack Anderson and Laz Kaebel,” added Strot.

Adding to the stability in its own end will be goaltender Cade Kujawski, returning for a second season between the pipes.

The Premier team kicks off its season on home ice Friday against the Florida Jr. Blades. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:45 p.m.

The Florida Eels are thrilled to announce the signing of 6’3” 175 lbs. goalie Chris McFayden from Pittsburgh, PA,

Last season McFayden had been dominant between the pipes for North Catholic High School. so far this season.  He played in 20 games with an impressive 1.83 GAA and a  with .937 save percentage while playing every minute of the season as the starting goaltender for the Trojans.  He had posted a number of shutouts helping his team climb atop the PIHL Class A standings in its first year of Varsity hockey in 15 years  roster this season. He was named Player of The Week by the PIHL.

McFayden is a strong netminder. Quick reflects. Cat like Glove. Excellent technique. Outstanding  rebound control. Aggressively challenges his shooters. Stonewalling with his butterfly style.

As good as he had been on the ice, McFayden’s performance in the classroom was even more impressive.  He carried an astounding 4.43 GPA as a senior at North Catholic.  He added to his academic accomplishments with a 1250 SAT score.  As a result of his academic accolades, McFayden was inducted as a member of the National Honor Society.

 

McFayden comes to the Eels as a hungry and determined player. He has an unwavering work ethic whose has a burning desire to be the best. He is completely committed to continue the Eels excellence within the USPHL. He adds the depth to the Eels program. We welcome Chris to the Eels family.

The Florida Eels are thrilled to announce the signing of 2001  6’0” 185 lbs. veteran goalie Noah Granata from Toronto CA. In 2019-20,  Granata played for the Dandas Blues of the PJCHL and was later called up to Tier II Canadian Juniors for  the Elliot Lake Wildcats of the NOJHL..  In the 2018-19 season he played  for the highly regarded top ranked Brampton 45’s U18 AAA.

 

Granata is seasoned veteran who has done very well in the Canadian forum and is looking to bring his game to the Next Level  to the USA with the Florida Eels. He is playing a hybrid style. Very fast on his feet and Acrobatic. He possesses a strong  cat like glove.  He challenges shooters and very confident in net. He already has been strongly recruited  by USA colleges and is intent on getting his game polished for his college career. Academically, Noah is a very intelligent with a high GPA.   Noah is a very determined young man who is a dedicated student of the game. He has a great attitude, a team player and very competitive. We welcome Noah to the Eels family.

The Florida Eels are very excited to announce the signing of 2002 veteran defensemen Cameron Grajewski from Denver CO. Cameron has a large physical presence on the ice at 6’5 198 lbs. with 6’5” wingspan. He adds solid veteran experience to the Eels Blueline this year. He is a seasoned defenseman, having played in the EHL last season and Tier I midget AAA for the Cleveland Barons, Tier I AAA Midgets for the Colorado Evolution and Tier I AAA Bantams for the Colorado Rampage.

Cameron has been training with the Eels throughout the summer and has impressed our coaches. He is a strong skater with solid skill set. He has a nice heavy shot. High Hockey IQ. Smart in the D zone. Has excellent vision in all 3 zones. A very dedicated and determined young man. He equally impressed the Eels coaches with his off-ice work ethic. He worked just as hard in the gym as he did on the ice.

Having spent the summer training with Cameron, we can tell he is a high-quality individual. Strong character traits. He possesses an unwavering commitment to win. He is eager to learn. Very coachable. He fits perfectly in with the Eels philosophy and culture. He shares our goals and mission. Maximize his player development and become one of our players that advance to a NCAA College hockey program. We are thrilled to have Cameron join the Eels family this season.