The U16AA Eagles flew down to Estero, Florida over the Christmas holiday to compete in the Holiday Invitational. All would agree that the combination of 80 degree weather and ice hockey does have a ring to it. The team was moving through robin play taking care of business against the Florida Jr Panthers and Palm Beach Blackhawks. Unfortunately the team came out very flat against their contest against the South Florida Golden Wolves, dropping that contest. That aligned the team in the playoffs as the #3 seed and a rematch against the Panthers. Another win pushed them into the semi-finals against the Tampa Jr Lightning. While dominating the game and holding a 2-1 lead for a good part of the game, the Lightning scored a late short-handed goal that tied the game. But with 4 seconds left in the game, Ben Miller skated into open ice on the right wing and found Ryan Smith on the back door for a slam dunk, game winning goal. That secured a spot in the finals and rematch against the Golden Wolves. The Eagles were forced to play their 3rd game in a matter of 8 hours. Despite that challenge, the team came out with a jump in their play. The team, again, dominated play throughout the game but came up against a very hot goalie and dropped the final 3-2 and having to settle as runner-ups. While it’s hard to smile after a loss, the boys realize that they put all their heart and soul into a long day of hockey and just came up short.

No rest for the weary, the team made the trek home to then take on the Charlotte Checkers, Xtreme Ashburn, and Jr Hurricanes. The team went 2-0-1 and has positioned themselves to finish out the rest of the season strong in preparation for the state tournament in March. The Eagles are headed to Atlanta at the end of January to compete in the Powerade Invitational hosted by TPH. This AAA tournament could very well be the biggest test of the season so stay tuned for the results from that challenge.

GO EAGLES!