The Florida Everblades claimed the E.A. “Bud” Gingher Trophy as Eastern Conference champions on Saturday with a 6-1 win over the Wheeling Nailers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Florida wins the series 4 games to 1, and advances to the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals, where it will meet the winner of the Western Conference Finals. Kansas City leads Fort Wayne in that series 3 games to 1, with Game 5 set for Sunday at Fort Wayne.
Anthony Romano (3g-1a) and Hudson Elynuik (1g-3a) led Florida in the series with four points each while Cam Johnson allowed seven goals over the five games, registering a .945 save percentage.
The Everblades – who are 12-2 in the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs – advance to the Kelly Cup Finals for the fourth time in five seasons, and for the eighth time in team history, extending their ECHL record. Florida has won an ECHL-record four championships, including three consecutive titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The trophy is named in recognition of E.A. “Bud” Gingher, who was Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors from 1992-95. Gingher, who passed away in 2002, co-founded the Dayton Bombers in 1991 and owned the team for seven seasons, serving as President and Governor until selling the team in 1998. Gingher was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2010.
