In day one of the Florida College Showcase in Estero the Eels Premier and Elite teams over take the Charlotte Rush for their 1st win of the weekend games. When you talk about “Rivalry Games” these are it. Indeed, there is no bigger rivalry in the USPHL than the Eels and the Rush. The term is often coined These two teams are like “the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.” Both teams are amongst the top in their respective divisions for well over a decade. Both teams have steadfastly finished 1st or 2nd place in the regular season. Both systematically advanced in their Divisional playoffs to Nationals. Both have been amongst the top at Nationals regularly advancing to the semi-finals and finals. These two organizations are also amongst the the leaders in college advancements. Anytime they meet we see the best in Junior Hockey

These two organizations have met so many times over the years and deliver the best of the best. They compete so hard shift after shift, period after period game after game. These games are without doubt the highlight of so many of the Southeast, Estero, Tampa showcase games and Nationals. The attendance by fans and scouts are incredible, Last night was no exception. This was quite evident after the game with a number of college coaches awaiting to talk with these teams prospects.

There is enormous respect for one another. From the players, the coaches to the General Managers.

In the Elite game, we same strong action by both teams. The Eels players put 26 shots on the Rush net minder and put 4 passed them whereas the Rush fired 33 on the Eels goalie Filip Vitanov who turned 30 and held them to 3 for the big win. Period One, it was Zayn Haddon Harris who captured the Eels first goal of the game at 11:06. Brantlee Hoffman grabbed the Eels second goal of the game t 13:39 in the first. The first period closed the Eels and Rush were tied 2-2. The Eels remained scoreless in the second period, with the Rush pulling ahead 3-2-tensions were high. However, the Eels came in strong in the third period, at 7:14, in the third Carmen D’Ambrosio tied the game with the Eels third goal. The Eels were invigorated and at 13:31, Tyson Gagnon grabbed the Eels fourth and final goal.

At the Premier level, the Eels were victorious as well. This one was a real nail-bitter as well. The two teams played with such determination and fortitude. Up and down action. No doubt the game was the focus of the night with college scouts glued to the boards. The hitting, passing, skating, shooting and goaltending was at the “Next Level” You could see it shift after shift, The determination and intensity was unmatched. The game was scoreless until 16:33 of the 2nd period when Yiorgos Bikakis notched his 7th of the season for the actual game winner. Then in an effort to tie the game, the Rush pulled it goalie in the final minute of play to skate 6-5. But the Eels defensive play thawed their attach and the Eels goalie Russ DeCoste continued his stifling performance. Indeed, DeCoste turned away 33 of 33 shots for shutout performance. As an insurance goal, Eels star forward Robin Kuusik
put a 2nd one past the Rush net minder for a 2-0 final.

Here once again we saw a number of college coaches down both the Eels and Rush locker-rooms. This is why the players gravitate to these two marquee programs. The players from both organizations represented their teams and the league with professionalism and class.