The Florida Everblades claimed the E.A. “Bud” Gingher Trophy as Eastern Conference champions for the third consecutive season on Tuesday with a 4-3 win over the Adirondack Thunder in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Florida wins the series 4 games to 2, and advances to meet the Western Conference champion Kansas City Mavericks in the 2024 Kelly Cup Finals
Schedule announced for 2024 Kelly Cup Finals
Josh Ho-Sang opened the scoring in Game 6 with his first goal of the playoffs 8:38 into the opening period and Bobo Carpenter doubled Florida’s lead to 2-0 with a power-play tally at the 13:50 mark of the second period. Filip Engaras got the Thunder on the board with a power-play goal of his own at 17:36 of the second but Oliver Chau restored Florida’s two-goal lead with a breakaway tally 3:47 into the final frame and Joe Pendenza extended the lead to 4-1 with a shorthanded goal at the 6:41 mark of the third period. But, Adirondack got back into the game on goals from Engaras and Timur Ibragimov less than two minutes apart midway through the third period, however Florida was able to hang on over the final nine minutes to preserve the victory.
Mark Senden led Florida in the series with four goals while Carpenter (3g-2a) and Chau (1g-4a) shared the team lead with five points each. Adirondack was led by Ryan Smith’s three goals, and he shared the scoring lead with Tristan Ashbrook (1g-2a).
The Everblades, who won Kelly Cup titles in 2012, 2022 and 2023 are seeking to become the first team in ECHL history to win three consecutive championships. Florida’s three titles are tied with Alaska, Hampton Roads and South Carolina for the most in league history while the team is advancing to the Kelly Cup Finals for a league-record seventh time (2004, 2005, 2012, 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2024). The Everblades are the first team in the ECHL’s 36-year history to reach the Finals in three consecutive seasons, while Florida has won 11 consecutive Kelly Cup Playoffs series, which is also an ECHL record.
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.
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