The Eels Premier team make dramatic comeback from a 5-1 deficit in the 3rd period scoring 3 goals bringing it to with in 1 goal (5-4) but were not able to tie it up.
The Eels showed incredible resilience and determination in their resurgence but were denied by the Tampa Juniors. This was a tough game for the boys and their character emanated throughout the game. GM Scarpaci echoed how proud and honored he is to have these young men part of his program.
The Florida Eels Elite team falls to the Tampa Juniors by a score of 4-3. The Eels Elite team came up short in the 3rd period but did not capture a 4th goal to tie it up. Tampa now sits 3 points behind the Eels as they continue their quest for the 1st seed. The Eels could have closed it out had they secured a point this afternoon but came up short. The Eels play Thursday vs the Jr Blades and then the final game of the season at home also vs the Jr Blades. The Eels can secure 1st seed by a win or tie. Expect the boys to be re-focused and generated by their playoff run
Wow. Says it all. Last night at Hertz Arena against the Jr. Blades, the Eels Premier team came out flying from the drop of the puck and never looked back. This may have been their best game of the season. The boys were darn right explosive. If it wasn’t the Jr Blades home rink, they might have asked for a surface check because there was no doubt it seemed like the entire ice surface was tilted toward their netminder. The Eels brought out all the stops and weaponry. You can see the aerial attack was triggered. They kept flying in line after line after line. The Eels ground assault was equally lethal as they won all the key battles along the boards, in from of the opposing netminder and they were punishing in front of their own crease. Simply said, the Eels took ownership of all the real estate. The Eels breakout was unchecked. Not only were the forwards invading the Blades zone, the Eels defensemen were equally on the attack propelling the attack and garnering goal after goal.
You could see it in their faces as they were entering the rink. You could see it in their body language as they warmed up pregame outside. You could see again it in the actual 15 minutes warm up on the ice. These guys were and are in playoff mode. It is indicative in the way they train all year long and their physical and mental preparation over the past several weeks. There is a reason why they are and have been in 1stplace in the Florida Division the entire season. Indeed, their lead in by double digits over their closest opponents: The Charleston Colonials.
This win was not the result of a few guys scoring. Oh no this was a total team effort. It was a precision performance like performing surgery. You could see every move was calculated. The attack was relentless. A systemamtic and continuous onslaught. A tent offensive. You could see the Eels had owned possession from the get-go. Possession of the puck and with zone time. Looking at the game, one would say the Eels had possession of the puck and in the offensive zone by about a 70% margin. I don’t know if we have seen such a relentless fore-check all season. But what was equally impressive was the absolute denial of the Eels back-checking effort and performance. The word NO was used throughout their game. “No you won’t stop us from scoring. No, you won’t shoot on our goalie. No, you won’t score on us. No, you wont garner any offense on us.” Indeed, the Eels goalie was nothing short of outstanding. Jakub Kostelnyshowed why he is considered by many as the best goalie in the entire USPHL. He was so dialed in. Even when the Eels were short handed they mounted an attack. They had 3-4 short handed breakaways.
The Eels Premier and Elite play back at home on Sunday against their other west coast rivals the Tampa Juniors. The Elite play at 10:15 am while the Premier play at 1:00 pm.
THE FLORIDA EELS ELITE GAME VS THE TAMPA JUNIORS ON SUNDAY IS FEATURED AS THE GAME OF THE WEEK
Guys
Sunday’s Elite game vs the Tampa Juniors will be featured on Hockey TV as the game of the week. The league considers this a critical game in the standings with playoff seeding implications and wants to honor both the Tampa Juniors and Florida Eels. This game will be free for anyone watching. So spread the word. Game time 10:15 am Florida Eels Junior Hockey Tampa Bay Juniors Hockey Club United States Premier Hockey League
The Event: The Florida Eels Elite team vs the Tampa Juniors.
The venue: The Fort Myers Skatium.
The Time: 10:15 am
The Date: Sunday February 16, 2020
The Consequence:
The Eels are in 1stplace. They hold the 1stseed for the Florida Division playoffs. A position they held on to for the entire season. Yes, the entire season. The Eels have 52 points. The Tampa Juniors have 47 points. That is a 5-point spread. The Eels wins over the Tampa Juniors last weekend helped secure this narrow lead. The Eels and Tampa have 3 games remaining in the season including this critical game between the two teams on Sunday. If the Eels lose all 3 games and Tampa wins all 3 Tampa takes the lead. On the other hand, if the Eels secure a single point the Eels capture 1stplace and consequentially the 1stseed in the playoffs.
The 1stseed will play the 4thseed in the playoffs. The 2ndseed will square off vs the 3rdseed. The way it stands now the 4thseed is the Charleston Colonials and the 4thseed is the Atlanta Manhaters. Quite frankly, both the Colonials and Manhaters are both pretty good teams and the Eels have played them about the same all season. They played 8 games against the Manhaters and 3 vs the Colonials. Both teams have been playing very good hockey of late. The Eels players nor coaches are overly focused on who we will play at this point. Our game plan and preparation will be the same.
What makes the games against Tampa and the remaining 2 vs the Jr Blades next weekend is that the Eels have been “mind set” that we are to treat them like they are part of the playoff race. Playoff mentality. Play hard play with determination and everything is on the line. Leave everything on the ice and empty the tank. Play like there is no tomorrow because in the playoffs… there is no tomorrow if we don’t win today. Of course, we would be remiss to say that in the back of each Eels Elite players’ mind WE WANT 1STPLACE. WE WANT TO WIN THE FLORIDA DIVISION. WE OWNED IT ALL SEASON. One thing that folks don’t realize is you can play Juniors and college hockey and never have the opportunity to win your Division, never reach the playoffs and never get the opportunity to compete for a National title. These all mean something. You cannot take for granted that you will someday reach this plateau again. The boys are realizing in part now the fruits of their hard work all season. It has not been easy. It has been extremely hard, and they have endured. Training that often exceeded 3+ hours per day with enormous sacrifices. But it is why they came here.
Please join us for Sunday’s game at home vs the Tampa Juniors at 10:15 am
Guys come join us this Friday night as the Florida Eels take on the Jr Blades. It is an unusual schedule as only the Premier team will play this Friday as it is a make up game from earlier this season. If you recall the Eels and Jr Blades had to cancel a previously scheduled Premier game to accommodate Atlanta’s make up with the Eels when the Madhatters’ bus broke down.
This weekend at the Premier level has some significant consequences for both the Jr. Blades and Tampa. The Jr Blades who have 37 points sit in 4th place while Tampa sits 3rd place with 39 points. Both the Jr Blades and Tampa play the Eels this weekend. Blades Friday Tampa Sunday. The Jr Blades are looking to upstart the Eels and tie Tampa. Tampa is also looking to cancel the Eels and move ahead in the standings over the Blades. Next weekend the Eels have a double header vs the Jr Blades while Tampa has a pair vs the Atlanta Madhatters who are essentially eliminated from the playoffs seeded in 5th and impossible to gain ground with only 26 points.
For the Eels they hold a fix as they have 61 points well above the 2nd place Charleston Colonials who appear to have a strong hold on 2nd seed. But you can count on the Eels to be bringing their A game this weekend and next. The Eels culture is not built on complacency nor entitlement. The coaches and players take nobody for granted and never take any opponent for granted. They take every game seriously. One shift at a time one period at a time. You would never know from the Eels daily training they won the regular season Divisionally nor that they are 1st seed in playoffs. They are focused and determined as ever. They are in playoff mode.
Come join us at Hertz Arena 9:00pm Friday night and back home on Sunday vs Tampa at 1:15 pm at the Fort Myers Skatium
The Elite team plays Sunday at 10:15 am vs Tampa
13 FEB | BY FRANK SCARPACI
USPHL Elite: South Region Players Of The Week
Congratulations to this week’s USPHL Elite Division Players Of The Week from the Southern Divisions (Florida and Southeast).
Forwards: Adam Burtzlaff, Florida Eels
Burtzlaff (‘00/Brookfield, Colo.) was Mr. Helper for the Eels as they went up against the Tampa Bay Juniors on the weekend, earning two wins, one in OT.
He had three assists in each of the games for a six-point weekend.
Overall, Burtzlaff has posted 14 goals and 44 points this season.
Declan Murphy, Richmond Generals
Two wins for the Generals helped them pull away from the challenging Charlotte Rush for the USPHL Elite Southeast Division title.
In both of their games this weekend, Murphy (‘02/Lancaster, Pa.) scored a total of four goals, including a Sunday hat trick. That included the game-winner.
He had a goal Saturday as well. He now has 26 points for the season.
Defense: Nolan Tabraham, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Tabraham(‘02/Fayetteville, N.C.) remains one of the highest scoring defensemen in the USPHL Elite, standing fifth with 28 points in 41 games. He is currently on a seven-game point streak in which he’s collected nine points. He earned a goal and an assist in the Jr. Canes’ sweep of Charleston last weekend.
Goal: Nick Bernstein, Richmond Generals
Here we are in February but as far as the USPHL Elite is concerned it may as well be October, if you’re looking at the goaltending leaderboard.
Bernstein still stands first overall in both goals against average (1.41) and save percentage (.953).
This past weekend he added to his 17 wins with two wins over Charlotte. The ‘01 from Valley View, Ohio, posted a 56-save shutout on Saturday. He stopped 25 of 28 shots in Sundays win.
USPHL Premier: South Region Players Of The Week
By USPHL Staff/USPHL.com , 02/12/20, 12:45PM EST
Congratulations to these players representing the USPHL Premier’s Southeast and Florida Divisions.
Forward: Demeed Podrezov, Florida Eels
Podrezov (‘01/Muskegon, Mich.) played a huge role for the Florida Division champions in their weekend split with the Tampa Bay Juniors, scoring five points off three goals and two assists on the weekend. This included the game-winning goal in Sunday’s 5-2 victory that followed a close 8-7 loss on Saturday.
Podrezov missed nearly two months with injuries, but he is the runaway leader in points per game for the Eels with 62 (14-28-42 in 26 games).
Defense: Dylan Blue, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes
Blue (‘02/Raleigh, N.C.) broke out with a five-point weekend as the Jr. Hurricanes celebrated two decisive victories against the Charleston Colonials in cross-divisional play.
His big night was Saturday, when he posted two goals and two assists, equaling his December and January points in one February game. He also added a goal on Sunday. Blue is a former USPHL Elite regular for the Jr. Hurricanes and has made a very successful climb to the Premier ranks this season. He now has 15 points in 34 Premier games.
Goaltender: Jack Riedell, Charlotte Rush
The recent SUNY-Cortland commit was outstanding for the Southeast Division leaders last weekend. Riedell (‘99/Greensboro, N.C.) has already picked up three wins in February and is on an overall six-game winning streak going back to January. The Rush swept the Generals on Feb. 8-9 with shutouts in both games. Riedell stopped all 31 shots he saw on Saturday, and he stopped all 28 against him on Saturday. The latter game was a shared shutout with fellow Rush goalie Luc Fox.
All told, Riedell is third in the league in save percentage (.938), second in the league in goals-against average (1.67) and he is the outright leader in wins (24).
What a weekend for the Florida Eels Premier team. We see almost as much fire power than that contained at Mac Dill Air Force base. On Friday the Premier team put up 7 goals despite a losing effort 8-7 and then on Sunday in a winning cause 5-2. Wow that is a 12-goal weekend. You don’t typically see that much ignition at this time of year but there is no doubt the Eels Premier team has this arsenal. Saturday night was a bit wild like the old Wild Wild West. No doubt Head Coach Frankie Scarpaci was not happy losing that game and the defensive effort of his team was wanting. At this juncture of the season we have to be much better. The containment wasn’t there, and we had to too many mental errors.
The coaches were right back at. In fact, even on the bus trip back he was breaking down the mistakes and making changes to fix the problem. We had a short turn around. Unlike our typical schedule with Tampa where the away games are played on Friday and home on Sunday, this weekend we had to play Saturday in Tampa and then back at home on Sunday. There was little time between the games, so time was precious.
We had to take the positives out of Saturday night. The guys wouldn’t quit. They came back from deficits. They kept pushing hard offensively. They scored 7. On Sunday coach had his players refocused. Funny thing about this squad. They knew they could win. They understood there is nothing to be overly concerned about. They had a hiccup. We recognized it. And every team has a bad game. They also were reminded that if this were playoffs, we would be down one game in a best 2 out of 3. On Sunday as they walked into the rink you could tell the boys were ready. They wanted to avenge the loss and they were out to prove why yes why they clinched 1stplace in their Division and why they were dominate in the USPHL the entire season.
That is what they did. The toppled Tampa 5-2 in complete game. Their fore-check was back and their D Zone was much much better. This was not a see-saw effort. This was confidence. This was doing all the little things right. This was back to business. The scoring on the weekend was as follows:
Saturday Night:
| 12:32 | EEL | Jens Petersen (11) ASST: Demeed Podrezov (27), Pavel Timochko (2) | |
| 17:16 | EEL | Keve Toth (7) ASST: Egor Nosov (21) | |
| 2nd | |||
| 1:41 | EEL | Demeed Podrezov (12) ASST: Egor Nosov (22) | |
| 8:25 | EEL | Jake Court (15) ASST: Gage Dill (21) (PP) | |
| 18:20 | EEL | TJ Zebley (12) ASST: Adam Gaudet (17), Easton Moore (5) | |
| 3rd | |||
| 2:47 | EEL | Jake Court (16) ASST: Trevor Voyda (6), Ilya Senik (11) | |
| 13:28 | EEL | Demeed Podrezov (13) ASST: Jared Figueroa (26), Jens Petersen (32) |
Sunday Afternoon:
| 17:03 | EEL | Adam Gaudet (18) ASST: Easton Moore (6), TJ Zebley (19) | |
| 2nd | |||
| 3:05 | EEL | Ryan Goral (2) ASST: TJ Zebley (20), Trevor Voyda (7) | |
| 3:32 | EEL | Demeed Podrezov (14) ASST: Jens Petersen (33), Jared Figueroa (27) | |
| 4:32 | EEL | Jared Figueroa (19) ASST: Demeed Podrezov (28) | |
| 4:50 | EEL | Adam Gaudet (19) ASST: TJ Zebley (21), Easton Moore (7) | |
| 3rd | |||
These same two teams square off once again for the final time this season on Sunday back at home. The Eels play the Jr Blades on Friday night at Hertz Arena.
One thing for sure when the boys are serious, they are extremely difficult to contain. They have all the tools. The top netminder in the league. The top defensemen. The top forwards. They are deep Not just one two or three guys who can do it. Oh no. This is a team with solid 4 lines and they can light the lamp. A very exciting team to watch. These guys are very tight. They are a unit. You can get a feel and flavor of this team by looking at the stats and standings combined. This team’s success has been built on the multiple play by all the players. You won’t see one player dominating in the stats column. The scoring here is very balanced. That is what makes this team so difficult to play against. Opponents cannot simply cover one or two players and shut the Eels down. Because the other players are equally lethal. What does that spell? Team. The job now is keeping this well-oiled machine purring and ready to take on all comers in the playoffs.
The Florida Eels Elite team had first place on the line. They were 2 points ahead of the Tampa Juniors. Tampa has been on their heels shy by 4points for weeks. Now Tampa was within striking distance. The Eels have owned first place in the Florida Division the entire season. Yes, that’s right the entire season. In fact, the Eels have been ranked number 1 in the entire USPHL Elite Division a good number of weeks throughout the season. This did not come easy. It was with a lot of hard work. Day in and day out. 3+ hours of training 5 days per week. They faced adversity throughout the season as a 7-8 players or so have been called up to the Premier team throughout the season. In fact, most have stayed there. This is a tribute to our player development model echoes GM Frank Scarpaci. We are extremely proud of this unit. Our job is developing all of our players. Not just to be in 1stplace and win the division or the playoffs. The ultimate goal is to advance players. Yes, first to the Premier team and to college.
This weekend our guys once again came through as they have done throughout the season. No, we don’t have 2-3 top scorers in the stat column. Our goal is to develop a balanced scoring and a balanced defensive and goaltending core. That is exactly what we have done. On Saturday we won in OT coming back from a deficit to gain 2 points which elevated the Eels up by 3 points in the standings. And on Sunday the Eels came storming scoring 5 goals to 2 vs the Tampa Juniors to bring give the Eels a 5-point spread.
Tampa still can overtake the Eels if they win their remaining 3 games and the Eels lose their remaining 3 games. The Eels appreciate that full well. You can be rest assured the Eels won’t take the remaining games lightly. They play Tampa this Sunday at home. That will be a key contest. If the Eels win, they go up by 7 points. If the Eels fall Tampa will come with in 3. The big question here is who the Eels play will come playoffs. If the Eels finish in 1stplace they will play Charleston . If the Eels finish 2ndseed, the Eels play Atlanta. So, let the games continue.
The following weekend the Eels close out the season with a home and away series vs their cross-town rivals the Jr. Blades. Wow it all comes down to the end of the season. Final games. And that is why it is so exciting here in the Florida Division.
Saturday
Florida Eels 0 1 2 1 – 4
Tampa Bay Juniors 1 2 0 0 – 3
1st Period-1, Tampa Bay Juniors, Scheer 20 (Farley), 3:51. Penalties-Sozio IV Eel (interference), 7:07; Smith Eel (cross-checking), 19:05.
2nd Period-2, Tampa Bay Juniors, Scheer 21 (Keenan, Holman), 13:18. 3, Tampa Bay Juniors, Scheer 22 (Keenan, Bahula), 16:12 (PP). 4, Florida Eels, Smith 11 16:40. Penalties-Harrop Eel (hooking), 3:17; Espinasse Eel (cross-checking), 5:10; Keenan Tbj (tripping), 6:40; Bahula Tbj (holding), 9:43; Simbro Eel (delay of game), 15:57.
3rd Period-5, Florida Eels, Smith 12 (Espinasse), 6:56 (PP). 6, Florida Eels, Hoover 3 12:07. Penalties-Harrop Eel (interference), 2:51; Tillander Tbj (holding), 6:09; Woodring Tbj (high-sticking), 8:48; Simbro Eel (cross-checking), 8:50; Clift Eel (tripping), 13:42; Woodring Tbj (slashing), 14:45.
1st OT Period-7, Florida Eels, Melikov 17 (Medina), 0:21. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Florida Eels 13-11-11-2-37. Tampa Bay Juniors 17-15-12-0-44.
Power Play Opportunities-Florida Eels 1 / 0; Tampa Bay Juniors 1 / 0.
Goalies-Florida Eels, Steere 2-0-0-0 (44 shots-41 saves). Tampa Bay Juniors, Moschella 8-5-2-0 (37 shots-33 saves).
Sunday
Tampa Bay Juniors 0 1 1 – 2
Florida Eels 1 3 1 – 5
1st Period-1, Florida Eels, Melikov 18 (Sozio IV, Medina), 12:14. Penalties-Espinasse Eel (holding), 3:17; Peters Eel (tripping), 6:18; Scheer Tbj (tripping), 7:13; Cioffi Eel (tripping), 12:29.
2nd Period-2, Florida Eels, Harrop 12 (Burtzlaff, Butler), 12:14. 3, Florida Eels, Medina 12 (Burtzlaff), 17:40. 4, Tampa Bay Juniors, Bahula 15 (Farley, Keenan), 18:44. 5, Florida Eels, Harrop 13 (Burtzlaff, Smith), 19:24. Penalties-Zamba Tbj (unsportsmanlike conduct), 11:28; Sozio IV Eel (unsportsmanlike conduct), 11:28; Friz Eel (hooking), 13:41; Espinasse Eel (misconduct-unsportsmanlike), 15:04.
3rd Period-6, Tampa Bay Juniors, Uhrig 8 (Farley), 13:32. 7, Florida Eels, Medina 13 (Smith), 19:42. Penalties-Castonguay Eel (roughing), 3:24; Friz Eel (cross-checking), 5:44; Woodring Tbj (high-sticking), 17:16.
Shots on Goal-Tampa Bay Juniors 9-13-13-35. Florida Eels 12-17-11-40.
Power Play Opportunities-Tampa Bay Juniors 0 / 0; Florida Eels 0 / 0.
Goalies-Tampa Bay Juniors, Spinella 7-5-1-0 (40 shots-35 saves). Florida Eels, Steere 2-0-0-0 (35 shots-33 saves).
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