Eagles Hockey Season Comes to a Nail-Biting End

The East Lake Eagles hockey squad fell short against the Jesuit Rangers of Texas on Friday night in the USA Hockey National Championship.

In the first quarter, Austin Teall of East Lake nailed a shot to hold a 1-0 lead going into the second. 

Jesuit slipped in an early goal in the second period to tie the game. But Teall scored a second goal to take the lead once again with a 2-1 score.

Firing back, Jesuit tied the game at two then passed East Lake with a 3-2 lead. 

The 3-2 score would remain until time expired, leaving the Eagles with a lot of good memories and even more to be proud of.

The Eagles played two games prior to Friday night's in a three-game round robin, which decided if they would qualify for Saturday's quarter-finals.

In their opening match on Wednesday, the Eagles breezed by the John Jay Indians of New York, but suffered a tough overtime loss in Thursday's game against Santa Margarita from California. 

According to Anna, the team was down 4-0 on Thursday, but came back before the end of regulation to tie the game.

In overtime, Santa Margarita knocked in the winning goal.

The loss on Thursday put the team in a serious bind on Friday night. They had to beat the Rangers from Dallas to make it through to the next round of play.

With a win and two losses, the Eagles were knocked out of the national tournament and will return home from Coral Springs early.

From Palm Harbor Patch, we congratulate the team, coaches and parents on a fantastic season!

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