Tag Archives: #KellyCupPlayoffs

Everblades crowned Kelly Cup Champions

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ESTERO, Fla. – For the second time in franchise history, the Florida Everblades are Kelly Cup Champions.

Florida Everblades players celebrate their Kelly Cup cliniching win over the Toledo Walleye at Hertz Arena on Saturday night / Photo by Trina Kirk (PHN)

Zach Solow scored twice and Cam Johnson stopped 34-shots while being named the playoff’s Most Valuable Player as the Everblades defeated the Toledo Walleye 4-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 7,674 at Hertz Arena on Saturday night.

The Everblades took advantage of every shot in a high scoring first period, adding four goals on just seven shots.

The win was Florida’s 13th of it’s last 15 and sixth win of its final eight home games. Through four rounds of play, the Everblades only lost four times in 21-games.

Teetering on the brink of elemination, Toledo opened the scoring four-minutes in on Matt Berry’s fifth of the postseason, with assists coming from Ryan Lowney and Butrus Ghafari.

Four minutes later, Florida took over, scoring three times in three minutes.

Solow netted his first of the night on the power play, with a wrist-shot from the slot that found it’s way into the back of the net past Toledo’s Billy Christopoulous at 8:12. John McCarron and Jake McLaughlin picked up assists on the goal that tied the game at 1-1.

Matteo Gennaro added the go ahead goal at 10:57, taking a pass from Joe Pendenza before beating Christopoulos on the glove side on a shot from the left dot.

Keeping their foot on the gas, the Everblades added another goal just seven-seconds later.

On the ensuing face-off, Alex Aleardi gained control of the puck, before dropping a pass in heavy traffic. From there, Levko Koper slipped away from the Toledo Defense and zipped ahead, firing a shot from the low slot to suddenly make it a 3-1 lead. Koper’s fifth playoff goal would be the eventual game winner.:

The Florida Everblades and Toledo Walleye shake hands following the Everblades’ series-cliniching win / Photo by Trina Kirk (PHN)

John Albert pulled the Walleye back within one at 18:23, adding his sixth power play marker of the playoffs. Albert’s snap shot from just inside the left circle beat Johnson top shelf, glove side with the assists going to Brandon Hawkins and TJ Hensick.

Note done yet, Solow sent home a back-hander from the low right side at 18:51 to make it 4-2 on his team-leading ninth playoff goal. Koper and Aleardi were credited with assists on the play.

That score would prove to be the final, as the final two periods went scoreless.

Johnson locked things down the rest of the way, stopping 21-shots through the final 40-minutes of play, en route to his 15th win of the postseason. He finished the Kelly Cup Playoffs with a record of 15-3, and posted four shutouts, which is tied for second most in a single postseason in ECHL history.

Florida last claimed the Kelly Cup in 2012, when they defeated Las Vegas, 4-1 in the best-of-seven game series.

After a short off-season, the Florida Everblades will return to the ice to defend their championship on October 21 when they travel to Atlanta to open the 2022-23 ECHL season against the Atlanta Gladiators.

A television on the concourse of Hertz Arena proclaims the Florida Everblades as the 2022 Kelly Cup Champions / Photo by Trina Kirk (PHN)

Florida’s road to the Kelly Cup Championship –

SOUTH DIVISION SEMIFINALS

Florida wins series 4-2
Game 1 – Greenville 3 at FLORIDA 4 (OT)
Game 2 – GREENVILLE 5 at Florida 3
Game 3 – FLORIDA 4 at Greenville 3 (OT)
Game 4 – FLORIDA 2 at Greenville 1
Game 5 – Florida 3 at GREENVILLE 4 (2 OT)
Game 6 – Greenville 1 at FLORIDA 5

SOUTH DIVISION FINALS

Florida wins series 4-0
Game 1 – Jacksonville 0 at FLORIDA 2
Game 2 – Jacksonville 3 at FLORIDA 5
Game 3 – FLORIDA 2 at Jacksonville 0
Game 4 – FLORIDA 1 at Jacksonville 0 (OT)

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Florida wins series 4-1
Game 1 – FLORIDA 4 at Newfoundland 3 (OT)
Game 2 – FLORIDA 2 at Newfoundland 0
Game 3 – Newfoundland 3 at FLORIDA 4
Game 4 – NEWFOUNDLAND 4 at Florida 1
Game 5 – Newfoundland 5 at FLORIDA 6 (OT)

KELLY CUP FINALS

Florida leads series 3-1
Game 1 – FLORIDA 3 at Toledo 2
Game 2 – FLORIDA 3 at Toledo 1
Game 3 – TOLEDO 4 at Florida 1
Game 4 – Toledo 2 at FLORIDA 3 (OT)
Game 5 – Toledo 2 at Florida 4

Contact the writer: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com

Contact the photographer: Trina.Kirk@prohockeynews.com

Follow us on Twitter: @ProHockeyNews, @JohnHallPHN

Everblades on brink of hoisting Kelly Cup following Kaelble’s OT heroics

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ESTERO, Fla. – Lukas Kaelble’s late overtime goal propelled the Florida Everblades to a 3-2 win over the Toledo Walleye in front of 7,535 fans at Hertz Arena, moving the Everblades within one game of clinching it’s first Kelly Cup in 10 years.

Florida out-shot Toledo 47-42, while Cam Johnson stopped 40 shots to backstop the victorious effort for the home team.

Jake McLaughlin’s power play goal 8:21 into the game gave the Everblades the early lead. With Toledo’s Blake Hillman serving a minor for slashing, McLaughlin took a pass from Blake Winiecki and fired a shot past goaltender Billy Christopoulos to make it a 1-0 Florida lead. Zach Solow grabbed the secondary assist on the play.

Josh Dickinson knotted it up, 1-1, scoring for Toledo at 14:44 of the first period. Brandon Hawkins took a pass from TJ Hensick in the left circle, then spun and sent a quick pass to Dickinson at the goal mouth. Dickinson then re-directed the puck into the net to the left of Johnson.

That score would follow the teams into the third period, as Florida held a 16-8 shot advantage over Toledo. The Walleye bested the Everblades 13-8 in a scoreless second period.

The two teams traded late goals in the third period to send the game to an extra frame, while Toledo out-shot Florida 13-9.

The Walleye gained a 2-1 lead on a Matt Berry power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, with assists going to Hawkins and Hensick.

Standing on the goal line to Johnson’s right, Hawkins centered a pass to former Everblade Berry in the slot. Berry’s shot would beat Johnson low for the go-ahead goal.

Florida would answer in dramatic fashion 2:14 later to force overtime.

With Johnson pulled for an extra attacker, Joe Pendenza fired a shot from the top of the right circle that beat Christopoulos to the stick side and sent the home crowd into a frenzied cheer. Stefan Leblanc and Winiecki picked up assists on the goal. The score was his fifth of the postseason and gave the Everblades a 3-1 best-of-seven series lead.

After a highly defensive-minded overtime period, Kaelble found the net to claim the first win for the host team in this year’s Kelly Cup Finals.

Matteo Gennaro brought the puck in the Toledo zone, skated to the right circle and left a drop pass for Kaelble, who fired the puck past Christopoulos, high on the stick side for the game-winner, his first playoff goal at 15:45.

Florida can close out the series and hoist the Kelly Cup inside Hertz Arena on Saturday night. Game five is set for a 7:30 P.M. ET faceoff.

A Toledo win will force the series back to the Huntington Center in Toledo for game six on Tuesday night.

Game 5 – Saturday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 6 – Tuesday, June 14 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Toledo (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Thursday, June 16 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Toledo (If Necessary)

Contact the writer: John.Hall@ProHockeyNews.com

Follow us on Twitter: @ProHockeyNews, @JohnHallPHN

Walleye pick up 4-1 win in Game 3

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ESTERO, Fla. – Billy Christopoulos stopped 32 shots and Brandon Hawkins posted three points (2g-1a) to lead the Toledo Walleye to a 4-1 win over the Florida Everblades on Wednesday in Game 3 of the 2022 Kelly Cup Finals in front of 6,149 fans at Hertz Arena. The Everblades lead the series 2 games to 1.

Toledo’s win marks the first time since 2010, and the sixth time in ECHL history, that the visiting team has won each of the first three games of the Riley/Kelly Cup Finals.

Box Score

Toledo opened the scoring 11 minutes into the contest with a power-play goal off of the stick of John Albert, who put the rebound of his initial shot past Florida goaltender Cam Johnson for his ninth goal of the playoffs.

Brandon Hawkins doubled the Walleye lead at 13:25 when he gathered in a pass from Randy Gazzola between the circles and blasted a one-timer past Johnson for his team-leading 14th postseason goal.

The Walleye added to their lead at 18:08 of the second period with a shorthanded tally. Josh Dickinson skated into the Florida end and centered a pass for Marcus Vela who skated in alone on Johnson and notched his fifth goal of the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Hawkins added his second goal of the night into an empty net at 16:13 while Levko Koper notched Florida’s lone goal of the night at 17:01 to set the final.

Game 4 of the series is set for Friday at Hertz Arena with the opening face-off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Catch all of the action live by tuning into FloHockey.

Walleye fall to Everblades, 3-1, in Game 2

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TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo Walleye fell to the Florida Everblades, 3-1, in Game 2 of the Kelly Cup Finals on Saturday night.

Florida scored 3:30 into the contest and never looked back, taking a 3-0 lead in the second period. Marcus Vela scored his fourth goal of the playoffs in the third period, but the Walleye could not claw back to force overtime. With the loss, the Walleye now trail, 2-0, ahead of the road portion of the series, which will begin on Wednesday in Florida.

The Walleye started out the game on the penalty kill after Blake Hillman collected a double minor for high-sticking 18 seconds after puck drop. The Walleye got a good look at a shorthanded goal less than a minute in, but a Toledo goal was waved off after review, keeping the contest scoreless.

With 2:13 gone, John McCarron was called for tripping, offsetting Hillman’s penalty to begin nearly two minutes of 4-on-4 hockey. At the 3:30 mark, the Everblades scored their first goal as Levko Koper redirected a Xavier Bouchard shot into the back left corner of the net. Dylan Vander Esch added a secondary assist as the Everblades took the 1-0 lead.

The Walleye went on the power play for the first time at 11:01 following a Jake Jaremko holding penalty, but it was Florida who came away with a goal, scoring shorthanded at the 12:19 mark. Joe Pendenza stole the puck near the right edge of the logo and passed ahead to Vander Esch for the score.

The second period featured multiple scuffles, including a fight at 11:26 between center ice and the Walleye bench that resulted in five penalties. Florida’s Xavier Bouchard and Jake McLaughlin, as well as Toledo’s Butrus Ghafari and Randy Gazzola, were all called for roughing, while Gazzola also picked up a cross-checking minor. Those penalties resulted in another Florida power play, which the Walleye killed off.

The Everblades took the man advantage one more time in the period as Brett Boeing entered the box for slashing. That penalty occurred at 15:28, and at 15:52, Zach Solow found the back of the net to give the Everblades a three-goal lead. Stefan Leblanc and Jake Jaremko added helpers.

The Walleye dominated the shooting in the third period, 15-5, as they looked to get back in the game. Toledo earned a successful penalty kill early in the frame, returning to full strength at 7:12 after Butrus Ghafari’s charging minor.

At 8:46, Marcus Vela put the Walleye on the board, deflecting Blake Hillman’s shot into the net to trim the Florida lead back to two. Hillman and Cam Clarke were credited with the assists as Vela scored his fourth goal of the playoffs.

The Walleye earned two opportunities to score with the man advantage following the first goal. At 11:22, Blake Winiecki was called for delay of game to put Toledo on the power play, and after the Everblades returned to full strength, Alex Aleardi picked up a tripping minor at 16:07 to give the Walleye another chance. The Walleye could not convert on the man advantage and found themselves searching for two goals to force overtime with 1:53 to play.

With 1:05 left in regulation, the Walleye brought on the extra skater to try to score a quick goal, but the Everblades held the Fish without another shot, handing Toledo the 3-1 loss. The Everblades took the 2-0 series lead, stealing two games on the road before the series shifts to Florida next week.

The Walleye outshot the Everblades, 30-21, in the contest, with 15 of those shots coming in the third period. Florida went on the power play five times while Toledo took the man advantage three times. The Everblades scored the lone power play of the game late in the second period.

Cam Johnson earned the 29-save victory for the Everblades, only giving up one shot. Billy Christopoulos recorded the loss for the Walleye, saving 18-of-21 shots.

What’s Next:

The Walleye will travel to Florida to take on the Everblades in Game 3 of the Kelly Cup Finals on Wednesday, June 8. Toledo, currently trailing, 2-0, will look to collect its first win of the series on the road in Estero. Puck drop from Hertz Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.

Three Stars:

  1. Florida – Dylan Vander Esch (game-winning shorthanded goal, assist)
  2. Florida – Levko Koper (goal)
  3. Toledo – Marcus Vela (goal)

Everblades claim game one victory over Walleye

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TOLEDO, Ohio – Alex Aleardi scored twice in the third period and Cam Johnson stopped 33-shots, as the Florida Everblades stunned the Toledo Walleye in comeback fashion in front of 8,600 fans at the Huntington Center to claim a 3-2 win in game one of the 2022 ECHL Kelly Cup Finals.

Toledo jumped out to a 2-0 lead, behind a 17-12 shot advantage in the opening frame.

Randy Gazzola got the scoring going, netting his second playoff goal on assists from Mitchell Heard and Patrick Curry. Heard dug the puck out of the corner and sent a cross-ice pass to Gazzola, who sent it into the top right corner of the net past Johnson for a 1-0 lead.

With Florida’s Lukas Kaelble in the box serving a hooking minor, Toledo made the most of it’s first powerplay attempt later in the period. With Johnson sprawled out in the crease, Matt Berry collected a rebound and handed it over to John Albert at the right post. Albert tapped in the puck for his eighth of the post-season and a 2-0 Walleye lead. Brandon Hawkins was credited with the secondary assist on the score.

The Everblades got things going mid-way through the second period, adding a Zach Solow goal from Jake Jaremko and Blake Winiecki at 12:36. With Berry serving a tripping minor, Jaremko sent the puck across ice, in front of Toledo goalie Billy Christopoulos, and to the stick of Solow, who put it in the net for his sixth of the playoffs and to cut the lead in half.

Florida turned the tables, offensively, in the second, out-shooting Toledo 17-9.

The Everblades evened things up at 6:45 of the third, on Aleardi’s seventh playoff goal. Aleardi picked up a rebound and beat Christopoulos top shelf from the low slot to make it 2-2. Assists were awarded to Kaelble and Levko Koper.

Aleardi struck again almost 12-minutes later to give the Everblades the would-be game-winning goal. Taking a long pass from Koper, Aleardi collected the puck, and gained enough separation from two Walleye defenders to release a shot from just inside the right circle that beat Christopoulos for a 3-2 lead.

Florida outshot Toledo 40-35 on the night, while scoring on one of two powerplay chances. Toledo went 1-for-4 on the man advantage.

Game two is scheduled for Saturday night in Toledo. Opening face-off is set for 7:35 ET.

Game 2 – Saturday, June 4 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio
Game 3 – Wednesday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida
Game 4 – Friday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida
Game 5 – Saturday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida *
Game 6 – Tuesday, June 14 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio *
Game 7 – Thursday, June 16 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio *

* – If Necessary

Contact the writer: John.Hall@prohockeynews.com

Follow us on Twitter: @ProHockeyNews, @JohnHallPHN

Schedule announced for 2022 Kelly Cup Finals

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The ECHL announced on Saturday the schedule for the 2022 Kelly Cup Finals between the Toledo Walleye and Florida Everblades.

Florida closed out it’s Eastern Conference Championship Series with the Newfoundland Growlers with a 6-5 overtime victory in game five on Saturday night. Toledo claimed a 5-1 series clinching win over the Utah Grizzlies in the Western Conference Championship Series game five, also on Saturday night.

Game 1 – Friday, June 3 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio
Game 2 – Sunday, June 4 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio
Game 3 – Wednesday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida
Game 4 – Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida
Game 5 – Saturday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida *
Game 6 – Tuesday, June 14 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio *
Game 7 – Thursday, June 16 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio

* – If Necessary

Toledo defeated Utah four games to one in the Western Conference Finals to reach the Kelly Cup Finals for the second time in the last four years. Florida defeated Newfoundland four games to one in the Eastern Conference Finals to reach the Kelly Cup Finals for the fifth time, tied for the second-most Finals appearances in ECHL history.

About the ECHL

Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 27 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 34th season in 2021-22. There have been 727 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 29 who have made their NHL debuts in the 2021-22 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 27 of the 32 NHL teams in 2021-22, marking the 25th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

With ECHL release