Tampa Bay Juniors - USPHL

Premier

Tampa’s veteran players have learned just how hard it is to follow up on previous years’ success. Losing 4 of it’s top 5 scorers from last season, who combined for 286 points, this years’ team has found itself in many close scoring games. 

The TBJ Premier team sees its regular season record wrap up with a 15-24-5 record, good for third place in the Florida Division standings. While a losing record isn’t where any of the players expected to be at this point in the year, there is a lot to be optimistic about moving into the playoffs. 

An astonishing 9 of TBJ’s losses this season have come by a single goal, with another 3 losses coming by a single goal plus an empty net tally. When taking this into consideration, it’s easy to see how the need for goal scoring has shaped this season. If TBJ had been able to pull out a win in even 50%, they’d be over .500 and likely fighting for the top spot in the division.

Coach Strot has made it clear, however, that the regular season is done and over with. Every team in the playoffs starts with the same 0-0 record, and the team that can win two out of the next three games moves on to Boston.  With the deeper analysis at the record, it gives the players hope and belief that they are right in the mix with the top teams. Cleaning up a single mistake here and there can ultimately turn those single goal losses into victories, and that’s just what TBJ will be looking to do moving into playoffs this weekend.



Elite

TBJ Elite finishes the regular season with a 32-10-2 record. Which is, ironically, the exact same record as last year’s team. The difference with this year’s squad being its explosive offense, which has found the back of the net 232 times over 44 regular season games.

While the Elite team has found a little more success than the Premier team this season, the message remains the same: Your playoff record is 0-0 currently. What took place in the regular season only serves to hopefully prepare you for the playoffs.



The Premier team will open up it’s playoff schedule against the Florida Eels on Friday, while the Elite team will face the DME Swamp Rabbits. Both series will be held at Hertz Arena in Estero, times to be determined.