The Carolina Thunderbirds will begin the playoffs later this week with a shot at winning the Federal Prospect Hockey League championship, but two local recreational teams have already won national championships.
The 40+ Winston-Salem Eagles and 60+ Eagles won the USA Hockey National Championship in their respective divisions. Both championships were won over the weekend in Florida.
The Winston-Salem Eagles, an over-40 hockey team, won the national championship over the weekend in Florida.
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Both teams' rosters are comprised primarily of players from Greensboro and Winston-Salem, and they practice at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena, formerly known as the Annex.
John Clapp, the general manager of both teams, is a longtime youth hockey coach who still plays occasionally and helps with logistics for both teams. He organized a trip for both teams to Florida, and both teams brought home championship pennants.
“We had some players come from outside of the Triad to play for the Eagles in the tournament,” Clapp said. “The players range from former pros and college graduates to those who have been playing the game all their lives.”
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The Winston-Salem Eagles, an over-60 hockey team, won the national championship last weekend.
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The 40+ Eagles team won the Tier 1 title with 3 wins and 1 loss. They lost their first game to Global Synthetics 3-2, but then defeated the Buffalo Icemen 8-4 and the Chicago Red Dogs 9-2 to set up a championship game against Global Synthetics. .
The Eagles defeated Global Synthetics 5-3 to win the championship.
The 60+ Eagles went 4-0 and outscored their opponents 19-3. They defeated a team from Atlanta 6-0 in the Division I bracket championship game.
Mario Cavaliere of the Thunderbirds was named the FPHL's Goaltender of the Year after his outstanding performance during the regular season.
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Thunderbirds begin playoffs on Friday
The Carolina Thunderbirds finished their regular season last weekend, finishing second in the division behind Columbus.
The Thunderbirds will face Port Huron in Game 1 of a best-of-three playoff series at Michigan State on Friday night at 7 p.m. Both teams will then make the long journey from Michigan to play Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena. If a third game is required, it will be held in Winston-Salem on Sunday at 6 p.m.
The Thunderbirds finished the regular season with a record of 37 wins and 12 losses, but that doesn't mean they can make it to the playoffs on that momentum. The River Dragons won 11-1 in the final regular season game in Columbus last Saturday. This was the team's worst loss since it began playing in the FPHL in the 2017-18 season.
Earlier this week, Mario Cavaliere of the Thunderbirds was named the league's top goaltender after posting a 19-4-1 record and a 2.19 goals-against average. He also posted a .930 save percentage, leading the league in both categories.
The Thunderbirds averaged 2,939 fans per game, ranking fourth in the league. The Fairgrounds Arena draws about 3,000 hockey fans.
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