USA Hockey: Treasure Eiland

The East Coast Eagles Junior "C" Minor team played two exhibition games against the Richmond Royals (U16 AA) this past weekend, winning both of them by the score of 4-1. McKeen's correspondent Kevin Hopson was in attendance and looks at two of the Eagles' stars, forward Jeremy Eiland and defenseman Patrick Becker.

The East Coast Eagles play at the Junior C level in the Continental Hockey Association (CHA) but were recently granted Junior B status by the CHA. As a result, the Eagles will ice a Junior B team for the 2008-09 season, in addition to their Junior C Major and Minor teams. Currently, the Eagles sit in first place of the CHA Junior C Minor Division with a record of 20-1-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country.

Jeremy Eiland (2008), F, East Coast Eagles Junior C Minor

(21-29-34-63) .. Eiland has been selected to participate in January's CHA All-Star Weekend in Binghamton .. he currently sits atop the league in goals (29), assists (34) and points (63), averaging a ridiculous three PPG .. he is also tied for second in the league with four GWG's .. captain of the team who plays a solid two-way game, as he hustles around the ice and works hard in both ends .. this makes him a valuable contributor on special teams (both PP and PK) .. physical along the boards, where he does a proficient job of finishing his checks .. effective skater who protects the puck well and can control the rubber for extended periods of time .. sees the ice well, as he keeps his head up and resourcefully surveys his surroundings .. this astute vision, coupled with his quality passing abilities, make him a highly productive forward and a potential threat every time he touches the puck.

Patrick Becker (2009), D, East Coast Eagles Junior C Minor

(19-8-17-25) .. Like Eiland, Becker has been selected to participate in January's All-Star Weekend .. he is seventh in the league in assists (17) and second among defensemen .. Becker also leads the team/league in penalty minutes (119) .. unfortunately, his tendency to take such a high number of penalties limited my viewing of him .. however, he showed some glimpses of skillfulness during his brief stints .. coach Hinrichs says, "Becker excels in checking," which may be the understatement of the year .. he plays as if he has a chip on his shoulder the entire game .. he can stand a player up or rub him out along the boards, whichever he chooses .. in fact, I witnessed one instance where Becker took on two players along the boards simultaneously .. despite being undisciplined (overly physical), he is definitely a presence on the ice and wears the team's intimidator label devotedly .. given this side of Becker, you would not think of him as an offensive threat, but he is .. not only does he make a quality pass out of his own end, but he is deceivingly quick and can carry the puck the length of the ice.