East Coast Tournament 2026 Recap

On Labor Day Weekend, Triangle Floorball Club hosted the latest iteration of our premier annual event, the 2026 East Coast Tournament (ECT). 

The ECT has a long history dating back to the early 2000s, however, the modern era of the tournament began more recently in 2024 when the ECT was revived after a lengthy hiatus.

Over 100 participants including players, referees, commentators, volunteers, and supporters descended on Netsports in Morrisville, NC to enjoy over thirteen hours of nonstop floorball from September 5–6, 2026. Players from all over the country put on a stunning display of talent, teamwork, and fair play; delivering an entertaining show for the live audience and online viewers alike.

The tournament was a huge success, but would not be possible without the hard work and dedication from volunteer organizers, scorekeepers, referees, and commentators.

TFC went all-in on providing live streams and commentary for each match for the first time in its history, leading to much acclaim from online viewers from across the country. TFC’s Christian Holobinko spearheaded the effort to increase the production value of the live streams by incorporating play-by-play and color commentary (with player-provided fun facts!), a high-quality camera setup that delivered 1080p HD video, an in-game scorebug, graphics, and goal horn to mimic professional sporting events, and post-game interviews to bring player insights directly to audiences at home. Christian set a very high bar for US floorball live streaming and broadcasting; a level which he will look to raise when TFC hosts US Nationals in June 2027!

Speaking of high bars, there was some great floorball played at the ECT and that’s what we’re here to read about, right?

Eight teams participated in the tournament: two from TFC (TFC’s A team and the Carolina Cyclones), Colorado Floorball, North Texas Floorball Association (NTFA), NYC Floorball Club, Richmond Floorball Club, St. Paul Groveland Growlers, and the USA Men’s U-19 team. All of these teams posed tough competition; TFC and NTFA in particular stood out going into the tournament, as they placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively, at this year’s US Nationals in June just a few months ago (TFC narrowly defeated NTFA in the National semifinal via a penalty shootout).

Game replays can be found on the TFC YouTube page.

TFC vs. Richmond (Round Robin Game 1)

The tournament started on Saturday morning, September 5 with TFC vs. Richmond, two teams who know each other quite well after playing each other many times over the last several years. TFC scored four goals in the opening half to Richmond’s one, and finished the game winning comfortably 7-3. Goals were scored by Torin Chakravarty (x2), Matt Fields, Umang Patel, Jack Shriver (x2), and Mark Killmeyer for TFC.

New York vs. Cyclones (Round Robin Game 1)

The Carolina Cyclones started their campaign later in the morning against tough opponents New York. The Cyclones went down in the first half after quickly conceding a goal off a turnover, then conceding an unfortunate own goal. They struck back, however, to make it 2-1 going into halftime thanks to a clinical finish by Brian Wisselink. Stalwart team defense in the second half, led by goalie David Kirsch, wasn’t enough for a positive result, as a scoreless second half saw the game finish 2-1 in favor of New York.

Colorado vs. TFC (Round Robin Game 2)

TFC got off to a fantastic start against Colorado with a goal from Umang Patel, however, Colorado shortly struck back to make it 1-1, a scoreline which held going into halftime. In the second half, strong defense, led by goalie Joe Brennan, and goals by Umang Patel, Henry Shriver, and Jack Shriver allowed TFC to win comfortably 4-1.

Cyclones vs. U-19s (Round Robin Game 2)

After conceding the first goal, Cyclones’ Brian Wisselink scored his second goal of the tournament to tie the game 1-1. Most assumed this scoreline would hold going into halftime were it not for a fantastic behind-the-back pass leading to a tap-in goal to give the U-19s the lead just 3.5 seconds before halftime. Two more goals conceded in the second half resulted in a 4-1 win for the U-19s.

TFC vs. Growlers (Round Robin Game 3)

TFC found themselves in unfamiliar territory after quickly conceding the first goal of the game. However, a quick attacking response and strong defensive play saw TFC score four unanswered goals by Umang Patel, Mark Killmeyer, and Henry Shriver (x2) going into halftime. TFC’s scoring touch continued in the second half with four more goals, scored by Matt Fields (x2), Jack Shriver, and Henry Shriver (completing the hat trick), making eight unanswered goals since conceding the opening goal. A late push by the Growlers resulting in two goals wasn’t enough to put out the fire, as TFC won the game 8-3. With this victory, TFC went undefeated in round robin play, securing the first seed going into the playoffs

Cyclones vs. NTFA (Round Robin Game 3)

For the Cyclones final round robin game, they faced a tremendous uphill battle, going up against national bronze medalists NTFA. NTFA got off to a commanding start, scoring two goals and controlling much of the possession in the first half. Jackson Wentz got one back for the Cyclones late in the first half after suffering a dangerous stick to the face earlier in the half. All three of the Cyclones round robin games had the same scoreline going into halftime: Cyclones trailing 2-1. NTFA, however, started the second half scoring early and didn’t let up, scoring four unanswered goals to win the game 6-1.

TFC vs. Cyclones (Playoffs Game 1)

Sunday’s action began when Pool A first seed TFC drew Pool B fourth seed Cyclones in a matchup reminiscent of Sunday morning pickup. In true rivalry fashion, the previous day’s results went out the window as each team was dialed in on their opponents tendencies thanks to years of players on both sides playing with and against each other every week. Unfortunately for viewers at home, the game was not live streamed since all streaming/commentating volunteers were busy playing. The first half was a tightly contested duel between goalies Joe Brennan (TFC) and David Kirsch (Cyclones), as both teams were probing to find an edge. The second half was more open, and TFC found their groove with goals by Jack Shriver (x2), Matt Fields, and Torin Chakravarty. Joe Brennan had a shutout in the 4-0 TFC victory.

Richmond vs. Cyclones (Playoffs Game 2)

Cyclones drew Richmond in their second game of the playoffs. Both teams were looking for their first win of the tournament, so it was sure to be an exciting game. The first quarter of the game was tightly contested with chances from both teams, but solid goalie play on both sides kept it scoreless. Richmond finally broke the deadlock a little over halfway through the first half, and that proved to be the spark they needed as they continued to score three more goals, going into halftime up 4-0. The Cyclones continued to struggle in front of goal in the second half, and two more goals by Richmond sealed the Cyclones defeat 6-0.

New York vs. TFC (Playoff Semi-Final)

TFC drew New York for a strong bout in the semi-final. This was an interesting matchup for undefeated TFC against a New York side who went 1-1-1 in round robin play, but soundly defeated Richmond 7-1 in their round 1 playoff matchup. New York were going into this game wanting revenge for last year’s ECT, when TFC defeated New York in the tournament final.

TFC started the game with yet another solid lead, with goals from Umang Patel and Henry Shriver to make it 2-0. Mistakes and turnovers, however, led to three unanswered goals by New York, taking the 3-2 lead into halftime. This was the first time all tournament TFC were trailing going into halftime, facing an uphill battle in the second half against a strong New York side. An emphatic team talk by captain Umang Patel resulted in stronger defensive play at the start of the second half, eventually leading to the tying goal by Jack Shriver. TFC quickly took command of the second half with goals by brothers Henry (x2) and Jack Shriver, capping a hat trick by Henry and a comeback victory 6-3, seeing TFC through to the final.

Growlers vs. Cyclones (Playoffs 7th Place Game)

The Cyclones were set to play the Growlers in their final match of the tournament with 7th place up for grabs. The Cyclones were still looking to grab their first win of the tournament in a tough matchup against a Growlers team with elite quality at the top of their lineup. 

The Growlers started quickly with an early goal, to which the Cyclones responded minutes later through familiar goal scorer Brian Wisselink. The Growlers soon took control of the game, scoring three unanswered goals for the 4-1 lead at halftime. The Growlers continued their dominance with a goal shortly after the start of the second half, and maintained control for the comfortable 5-1 victory. The spirited Cyclones were unfortunate to end the tournament in 8th place in pursuit of a win.

NTFA vs. TFC (Playoff Final)

The championship was set: NTFA vs. TFC, a rematch of the thrilling semi-final at this year’s US Nationals which TFC won in a penalty shootout. NTFA entered the final undefeated with round robin victories against the U-19s, New York, and the Cyclones, and playoff victories against the Growlers and the U-19s, the latter of which NTFA defeated in the semi-final. On the other side, TFC were also undefeated with round robin victories against Richmond, Colorado, and the Growlers, and playoff victories against the Cyclones and New York. Going into the final match, NTFA had a combined 28 goals for and 5 goals against for a +23 goal difference. TFC had a combined 29 goals for and 10 goals against for a +19 goal difference. 

Two undefeated teams. The only two teams to score over 20 goals through five games (the next closest were New York and Richmond with 16 goals each). The only two teams to concede ten or fewer goals through five games (the next closest was Colorado with 12). This was shaping up to be an intense match between two highly skilled and defensively disciplined teams with the ECT trophy up for grabs.

The first half was intense and exciting throughout with both teams trading quality chances. NTFA seemed to have the edge in goal scoring opportunities, but strong goalkeeping by Joe Brennan (TFC) and Ethan VanPatten (NTFA) kept the game scoreless going into halftime.

The pressured atmosphere carried on in the second half as both teams continued to trade high-quality chances with no success thanks again to stellar goalie play on either end of the rink. Both teams were close to scoring deep into the second half, and the crucial breakthrough finally came with three minutes left to play in regulation as NTFA’s Dan Torretta sent a sweeping shot past a screened Joe Brennan into the back of the net. TFC continued to apply pressure for the final two-and-a-half minutes, but stout goalkeeping by Ethan VanPatten continued to deny TFC’s hunt for a goal. With just over 20 seconds and the TFC goalie pulled, a long NTFA clearance from the defensive zone found the back of the net, and NTFA defeated TFC for the 2026 ECT trophy by a score of 2-0.

Congratulations to NTFA for securing 1st place in the tournament. TFC were 2nd and the U-19s won 3rd place after a close 5-4 victory over New York. A very successful tournament is in the books thanks to dedicated volunteers and talented players from across the country. TFC and the Cyclones will look to build on these ECT performances, which served as the first major stop on the road to the 2027 Nationals, hosted by TFC.