Saturday night was one of the most intense games of the season. Tampa Juniors came to town and the Eels and the Juniors played in front of a packed crowd north of 400 fans. The place was rocking. No doubt this was one of the best games played by the Eels. Both teams were fast and explosive. The hitting was at the next level. Indeed, the entire play was at the Next Level. Anyone watching this game would have thought it was at the Premier Level. Both organizations were indeed very proud of its players.

It was a bit frustrating for the Eels as 2 goals scored by them were waived off and one goal scored against them was off side. Moreover, with the winning goa, except for the referee’s eyes, l the puck had not passed the crease. The entire rink was in shock. But that is the way it goes sometimes. You can only imagine how upset folks were but in the end coaches and the players and coaches were happy with the team’s performance.  They emptied the tank so to speak and you could not expect anything more from the players.

The entire series vs. the Juniors was outstanding this year. The games were so close and the fans who came or watched on Hockey TV enjoyed these games immensely. From an Eels perspective about a dozen of its players migrated up and down to the Premier team and even more in practice sessions. This was so great for players’ development.

Scoring

In net for the Eels was Tom Steere who faced 55 shots. He played solid once again.

Tampa solidified 1stplace in the Florida Division whereas the Eels have locked down 2ndplace. We are awaiting this upcoming weekend to find out who will land in 3rdand 4thand that will determine the seeding for the playoffs. Right now it looks like Tampa will face DME in the Elite Division and the Eels will face the Jr. Blades.  Final decision will be made this weekend.