To All Parents and Players:

It is that exciting time of year with playoffs and nationals right around the corner.  We will finish our regular season the weekend of February 28th with home games against the Tampa Bay Juniors.

The playoffs start on Saturday, March 6th and run through Monday, March 8th.  We are thrilled that the Florida Eels program will be hosting the playoffs at the Fort Myers Skatium.  The playoffs will consist of a best two out of three game series.  These are true playoff games and not a round robin.  The first place team will play the 4th place team in each of the Florida divisions.  The second place team will play the 3rd place team in each of the Florida divisions.  At this time we do not know the seedings.  Quite frankly it looks like the placement of the teams will come down to the very last game of the season. This makes for an extremely competitive and exciting regular season right to the end.

The winner of each of the playoff series will advance to Nationals.  There will be two teams from Florida to advance in both the Premier and Elite divisions.  In other words the winner of team #1 vs. team #4 will advance and the winner of team #2 vs. team #3 will advance in both divisions.

The playoff games for the Elite division will be either 9:00 a.m or 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (if needed).  The games for the Premier division will be either 3:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday (if needed).

The game format for the playoffs is significantly different than regular season games.  In the playoffs if the game is tied at the end of regulation we go into a 20 minute sudden death OT.  If the game continues to be tied at the first OT it will continue with 20 minute overtime periods until there is a winner.  There will be no shoot out to determine the winner.

This year due to restrictions in Massachusetts the Nationals will be held in York, PA on Thursday, March 18th – 21st.  It is fluid which means it means it could go to the 22nd or the 23rd of March.  Players have asked when they can go home.  With travel returning to Florida from Pennsylvania you may make your travel arrangements home beginning no earlier than Friday, March 26th.