Over the Memorial Day weekend, we had the privilege to play against the Swamp Puppies, a team from Space Coast Iceplex. We had originally met this team during the Thanksgiving Tournament this past Thanksgiving weekend. We instantly had a connection form, not just from the similar name, but their story was nearly identical to ours. Most of the core players had met while playing at Space Coast Iceplex and had formed a bond even though they were on different teams. When the chance came for them to form their own team, they leapt at the chance and created the Swamp Puppies.
Both teams entered the Memorial Day 2026 Tournament, and while the initial seeding games did not see the teams meet much to the dismay of both captains and the tournament organizers, both teams ended up pitted against each other in the quarterfinals of the tournament. This was a win or go home game for both teams, so the pressure was heavy on both sides.
The Game started with a ceremonial face off between team captains Andrew Pierson (Swamp Cats) and Weston Kulisky (Swamp Puppies) It was a sight to behold as both Captains, who play goalie, faced off at center ice. The rules were simple, once the puck drops and a team gets possession, game would pause until both goalies made it back to their creases and signaled that they were ready. Both teams sat ready to go, and as the puck dropped it would be Andrew Pierson and the Swamp Cats who would get initial possession of the puck. Both goalies raced back to their nets and signaled for the game to start. At the whistle, it was game on.
The game was gritty, but fun. Both teams pushed hard to win, but ultimately it was the Swamp Cats who came on top. After having a 1-2 record during the seeding matches and a goal differential of -3, the Cats sat in 3rd place, behind the Yellow Jackets and Bunch of Ants. During warmups for game 2, a rogue puck landed in a sweet spot and caused some trouble for our goalie. It was later confirmed after the dust settled from the tournament that Andrew in fact had a cracked rib, but our Wall between the posts muscled through the rest of the games.
The Swamp Cats would eventually win the game 4 to 0 against the Swamp Puppies. Every player on the bench decided that player of the game would go to Andrew for his shut out victory. While the cats would go on to get eliminated in the Semi-Final game against the tournament winning Yellow Jackets, the team played hard and came out as the victors of the first ever "Battle of the Swamp"
Both teams entered the Memorial Day 2026 Tournament, and while the initial seeding games did not see the teams meet much to the dismay of both captains and the tournament organizers, both teams ended up pitted against each other in the quarterfinals of the tournament. This was a win or go home game for both teams, so the pressure was heavy on both sides.
The Game started with a ceremonial face off between team captains Andrew Pierson (Swamp Cats) and Weston Kulisky (Swamp Puppies) It was a sight to behold as both Captains, who play goalie, faced off at center ice. The rules were simple, once the puck drops and a team gets possession, game would pause until both goalies made it back to their creases and signaled that they were ready. Both teams sat ready to go, and as the puck dropped it would be Andrew Pierson and the Swamp Cats who would get initial possession of the puck. Both goalies raced back to their nets and signaled for the game to start. At the whistle, it was game on.
The game was gritty, but fun. Both teams pushed hard to win, but ultimately it was the Swamp Cats who came on top. After having a 1-2 record during the seeding matches and a goal differential of -3, the Cats sat in 3rd place, behind the Yellow Jackets and Bunch of Ants. During warmups for game 2, a rogue puck landed in a sweet spot and caused some trouble for our goalie. It was later confirmed after the dust settled from the tournament that Andrew in fact had a cracked rib, but our Wall between the posts muscled through the rest of the games.
The Swamp Cats would eventually win the game 4 to 0 against the Swamp Puppies. Every player on the bench decided that player of the game would go to Andrew for his shut out victory. While the cats would go on to get eliminated in the Semi-Final game against the tournament winning Yellow Jackets, the team played hard and came out as the victors of the first ever "Battle of the Swamp"