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In Search of Gold: East Lake Eagles Hit the Ice

The team will play a three-day round robin between Wednesday and Friday, which will determine if they qualify for the national championship quarter-finals on Saturday morning.

With a final score of 15-7, the East Lake Eagles won their first game of the USA Hockey National Championship on Wednesday afternoon against John Jay Indians from New York.

Goals for the Eagles were scored by Austin Teall, Zane Katz, Nicholas Pisciotta, Alexander Estoch, Richard Foy, Alexander de la Paz and Conner Caprio.

With seven goals in the first period and eight goals in the second, it was obvious that the Eagles clinched the victory early on.

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The team traveled across Florida to Coral Springs to participate in the tournament, which is a milestone for Tampa Bay and East Lake considering they are the first team from the area to compete at the national level.

Coach Jim Anna spoke with East Lake Patch just before the team's first match on Wednesday. He seemed calm and ready for action.

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"If we play like we played in the state tournament, we'll be fine," Anna said.
Coach Anna said that the team's strategy is to play one game at a time with the ultimate goal of making the quarter-finals on Saturday.

"That's our goal to start with," Anna added.

He said they will worry about the rest of the tournament when they get there.

It has been a victorious season for the Eagles with a winning record of 24 wins and two losses during the regular and post seasons.

The team was also responsible for winning the Lightning Cup in February and the USA Hockey State Championship earlier this month.

The team will play a three-day round robin between Wednesday and Friday, which will determine if they qualify for the quarter-finals on Saturday morning.

Semi-final matches will be held on Saturday afternoon and the championship game will be played on Sunday.

Fans and residents can watch the games online at Fasthockey.com or stay tuned to East Lake Patch for breaking news updates on the team's results. 

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