Tag Archives: #KellyCupPlayoffs

Florida captures E.A. “Bud” Gingher Trophy as Eastern Conference champions

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The Florida Everblades claimed the E.A. “Bud” Gingher Trophy as Eastern Conference champions on Saturday with a 6-5 overtime win over the Newfoundland Growlers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Florida wins the series 4 games to 1, and awaits the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Toledo Walleye and Utah Grizzlies in the 2022 Kelly Cup Finals. Toledo leads the series 3 games to 1, with Game 5 taking place on Saturday night in West Valley City, Utah.

The Everblades started quickly in Game 5, scoring three times in the opening 4:10 of the contest. Newfoundland responded with two goals of its own before the opening period ended, but second-period tallies from Darik Angeli and Alex Aleardi restored Florida’s three-goal lead. However, the Growlers tallied three times in a 3:33 span late in the third period to pull even, sending the game to the extra session. In overtime, Florida’s Xavier Bouchard scored the winning goal just one minute into the extra session with a wrist shot from the right-wing circle.

Aleardi’s three goals in the series led Florida while Stefan Leblanc (2g-5a) and John McCarron (0g-7a) shared the team lead with seven points each. Newfoundland was led by Tyler Boland, who scored four goals, and Gordie Green, who had six points (2g-4a).

The Everblades, who won the Kelly Cup title in 2012, advance to the Kelly Cup Finals for the fifth time (2004, 2005, 2012, 2018 and 2022), which ranks second all-time in ECHL history.

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.

Toledo captures Bruce Taylor Trophy as Western Conference champions

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The Toledo Walleye captured the Bruce Taylor Trophy as Western Conference champions on Saturday with a 5-1 win over the Utah Grizzlies in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Toledo wins the series 4 games to 1, and advances to meet the Florida Everblades in the 2022 Kelly Cup Finals. That series begins on Friday at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.

After the teams traded goals during the opening period, TJ Hensick gave Toledo the lead for good 15:25 into the second period with Brett Boeing, Marcus Vela and Brandon Hawkins adding third-period tallies.

Hawkins and Brett McKenzie scored a series-high four goals for Toledo while Josh Dickinson led the Walleye with nine points (0g-9a). Trey Bradley (1g-4a) and Tarun Fizer (1g-4a) shared the team lead for Utah with five points each.

This is the Walleye’s second trip to the Kelly Cup Finals in team history, after falling to Newfoundland in six games in 2019. It is the fourth visit to the final round of the ECHL playoffs for a Toledo team as the Toledo Storm won back-to-back Riley Cup championships in 1993 and 1994.

The trophy is named in recognition of Bruce Taylor, who was the founding father of the West Coast Hockey League. In the early 1990s, Taylor purchased teams in Fresno, Reno and Bakersfield and in 1995 joined them with teams in Anchorage, Fairbanks and San Diego to form the West Coast Hockey League. The Taylor Cup was presented to the playoff champion in the WCHL from the league’s inaugural season in 1995-96 until the league ceased operations following the 2002-03 season. Taylor’s ownership in hockey began in 1983 with the purchase of the Burnaby Bluehawks of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League and continued with the purchase of the Richmond Sockeyes in the BCJHL and the New Westminster Royals in the BCJHL.

Martenet nets game-winner as Walleye complete comeback in overtime

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WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Toledo Walleye had an uphill battle to fight on Friday night at the Maverik Center, trailing the Utah Grizzlies, 4-0, nearly halfway through Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, but Chris Martenet and Brett McKenzie led a string of five straight Walleye goals to complete a 5-4 comeback win in Utah.

Brett McKenzie tied the game with just 1:30 remaining in regulation, and Chris Martenet buried the game-winner 5:01 into overtime. With the victory, the Walleye took a commanding 3-1 series lead to pull within one win of a Kelly Cup Finals berth.

Utah came out firing in the first period, scoring a whopping four goals to open the game. All of those came in the second half of the period, with the first goal coming at the 10:05 mark off the stick of Trey Bradley. Tarun Fizer assisted on the goal, which came at equal strength for Bradley’s sixth of the playoffs.

23 seconds later, Fizer got a goal of his own from the left circle as Zach Tsekos and Bradley recorded the helpers. Fizer has four goals in the playoffs.

With 14:14 gone, Tyler Penner extended the Utah lead to three, receiving a pass from below the goal line and scoring from the right circle. Dakota Raabe and Connor McDonald collected the assists.

After allowing three goals in just over four minutes, the Walleye took a timeout. The Grizzlies led in shots on goal, 11-5, at that point in the period and already took the power play three times. The Walleye penalty kill unit prevented goals on all three chances with the man advantage, with each goal coming at equal strength.

Following the timeout, the Walleye held off the Grizzlies for the next 4:33 before Utah’s lead ballooned to four on a Zach Tsekos goal with help from Bradley and Kyle Pouncy. That goal marked the only Utah shot for the remainder of the period after the timeout, bringing the total to 12-7 in favor of the Grizzlies.

8:21 into the second period, Toledo got on the board for the first time in the contest as Brandon Hawkins scored on the power play for his 12th goal of the playoffs. Matt Berry and TJ Hensick added helpers on the Walleye’s first goal of the night.

With 17:04 gone, Blake Hillman cut the Utah lead to two, collecting the puck between the circles, maneuvering around two Utah defenders, and finding the back of the net for his first goal of the playoffs. The goal came unassisted as the Walleye earned their second goal of the period.

The Walleye took ten shots in the period to Utah’s nine and held the Grizzlies scoreless in the middle frame, putting themselves within striking distance with a period to play at the Maverik Center.

Utah had a chance to go back up by three at the 6:37 mark in the third period as the Grizzlies received a penalty shot after Cam Clarke hooked Dylan Fitze on a breakaway opportunity. Fitze beat Christopoulos on the shot but sent the puck off the iron. The score remained 4-2 in favor of Utah with 13:23 to play.

At the 13:20 mark, Tarun Fizer entered the penalty box for five minutes on a cross-checking major, sending Toledo to the power play for the second time in the game. The Walleye closed the gap to one as Patrick Curry found the back of the net on a one-timer from the right circle. Josh Dickinson and Cam Clarke assisted as Patrick Curry tallied his seventh goal of the season.

Down one, the Walleye brought on the extra skater at the 18:11 mark, and it paid off 19 seconds later as Brett McKenzie tied the game with 1:30 to play. Matt Berry and Mitchell Heard added helpers as the Walleye pulled even with the Grizzlies for the first time since the midway point in the first period. The contest headed to overtime knotted at four goals apiece.

Just past the five-minute mark in the overtime period, Chris Martenet took a shot from the blue line and netted the game-winner as Brandon Hawkins and TJ Hensick assisted. The goal, his second of the playoffs, was the final goal of a string of five unanswered to give the Walleye the 5-4 win and 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

Toledo took 33 shots to Utah’s 30 in the contest while also holding the advantage on the power play with two goals to the Grizzlies’ zero. The Walleye were perfect on the man advantage, while Utah came up empty on three chances.

Billy Christopoulos saved 26-of-30 shots for the Walleye en route to his 11th win in net during the playoffs. Peyton Jones recorded the loss for the Grizzlies, saving 28 shots on 33 opportunities.

What’s Next:

The Walleye and Grizzlies will return to the ice on Saturday, May 28, for Game 5. Toledo will look to close out the series with a win to advance to the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time since 2019. Puck drop from the Maverik Center is set for 9:10 p.m. EDT.

Three Stars:

  1. Toledo – Chris Martenet (game-winning goal)
  2. Toledo – Brett McKenzie (game-tying goal)
  3. Toledo – TJ Hensick (two assists)

Growlers stay alive in Game 4 win

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The Newfoundland Growlers kept their season alive with a defensively sound 4-1 Game four victory over the Florida Everblades on Friday night at Hertz Arena.

Todd Skirving opened the scoring for the Growlers midway through the first period as Gordie Green spotted his linemate alone in front with some hard work behind the Florida net where Skirving made no mistake on his backhand to put Newfoundland ahead 1-0 after the 1st.

Green nabbed a great goal of his own midway through the middle frame as a great cross ice feed from Brendan Kapcheck sprung Green in behind the Everblades defence where he roofed one over the blocker of Cam Johnson to make it 2-0 Growlers.

Jordan Sambrook replied for Florida in the final minute of the 2nd as he redirected a centering pass beyond Keith Petruzzelli to cut Newfoundland’s lead to 2-1 heading into the second intermission.

Green picked up his second of the game with 3:32 to go in regulation to provide some insurance for the Growlers as his wraparound effort required video review to confirm it fully crossed the line but after a brief delay Newfoundland secured a 3-1 lead.

Derian Plouffe hit the empty net in the final minute of regulation to put Newfoundland three clear and secure a 4-1 win to extend the series until at least Saturday night.

Quick Hits

  • Gordie Green led the way offensively with three points (2G, 1A).
  • Keith Petruzzelli made 31 saves on 32 shots faced.
  • Newfoundland face another must win situation vs. Florida in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night.

Three Stars:

1. NFL – G. Green
2. FLA – J. Sambrook
3. NFL – K. Petruzzelli

Story by By Brady Reid

Everblades claim third-straight win over Growlers

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ESTERO, Fla. –The Everblades bolstered their lead in the Eastern Conference Finals three games to none on Wednesday night as they held on for a 4-3 victory against the Newfoundland Growlers in Game Three at Hertz Arena.

Wednesday was the first game of the series where an Everblades goal was scored in the first period. After taking a drop pass from Stefan Leblanc, Alex Aleardi raced into the offensive zone and blistered a shot past Keith Petruzzelli 26 seconds into the game. Aleardi’s fourth strike of the postseason marked the second straight game that the Blades jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Stefan Leblanc (12:44) added to the Blades’ advantage on a slapshot from the blue line after 14 seconds of a power play. Newfoundland cut the deficit in half to 2-1 courtesy of Orrin Centazzo at the 13:32 mark. The Growlers saw more quality chances in the final minute of the first period, but goaltender Cam Johnson held onto the Florida lead at the first intermission.

The Growlers tied the score 2-2 at the eight-minute mark of second period action with Jeremy McKenna’s power play conversion. However, Chris McKay’s buzzer-beating slapper gave the Everblades a 3-2 edge with seven tenths of a second remaining on the clock. Entering the third stanza, both teams were one-for-three on the power play and the Blades controlled the shots on net category 21-15.

Florida continued their success on the man advantage when it mattered the most. Lukas Kaelble (8:21) buried one from the high slot for his first lamp lighter of the season and his second in an Everblades uniform to make it 4-2. After missing the first two games of the series, Newfoundland’s Zach O’Brien (13:58) made it a one-goal difference again as he backhanded the puck across Johnson’s crease.

Despite the Growlers using their timeout, the Everblades held off any remaining chances and hung on for the 4-3 win. The outcome extended the team’s win streak to eight games. Johnson advanced his playoff record to 10-0-1 after stopping 25 of 28 shots in the game.

The Everblades and Growlers continue the Eastern Conference Finals with Game Four this Friday, May 27 in Estero.

With Florida Everblades release

Walleye escape Grizzlies in game three to take series lead

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WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Toledo Walleye survived a late push from the Utah Grizzlies to take the 5-4 victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals at the Maverik Center.

The Walleye led as many as four goals in the second period after scoring three unanswered goals before the Grizzlies went on their own three-goal run to make the contest tight late in the third period. Toledo ultimately held off Utah to take the 2-1 series lead behind a goal and two assists from Patrick Curry and two goals from Mitchell Heard.

It only took 31 seconds for the Walleye to get on the board as Brandon Hawkins scored his 11th goal of the playoffs. Josh Dickinson and Gordi Myer assisted as Toledo took the early lead.

Less than four minutes later, that lead extended to two as Mitchell Heard found the back of the net at the 4:24 mark. Patrick Curry and Blake Hillman recorded the helpers as Heard tallied his first goal of the playoffs.

Toledo edged Utah, 11-10, in shots in the opening frame, and both teams played a penalty-free period. The Walleye’s two early goals gave them the 2-0 lead heading into the second period.

The Grizzlies had a chance to get on the board just 41 seconds in when they were awarded a penalty shot. Billy Christopoulos stopped the shot off the stick of Connor McDonald to keep Utah scoreless, but Charle-Edouard D’Astous found the back of the net at the 1:54 mark to give the Grizzlies their first goal of the game. Tarun Fizer and Benjamin Tardif assisted on the goal.

After the strong second period start for Utah, Patrick Curry shifted the momentum in favor of the Walleye with a steal near the Utah blue line that led to a Toledo tally at 6:29. Curry’s goal came unassisted on Toledo’s first shot of the frame, increasing his playoff goal total to six.

Over the next few minutes, the Walleye found themselves on the power play and soon with the two-man advantage as Tarun Fizer picked up a high-sticking penalty at 8:54 and Charle-Edouard D’Astous was called for slashing at 9:31. TJ Hensick took advantage with six seconds left in the Fizer penalty, scoring off a Matt Berry pass in front of the net for his ninth goal of the playoffs. John Albert added a secondary assist as the Fish took the 4-1 lead.

Mitchell Heard increased that lead to 5-1 with his second goal of the game at the 11:26 mark as Josh Dickinson and Patrick Curry assisted. Curry had three points by the end of the second period with a goal and two assists.

With 14:36 gone, Zach Tsekos ended Toledo’s streak of three unanswered goals, giving the Grizzlies their second goal of the game. Trey Bradley and Tarun Fizer added helpers to bring Utah within three goals of the visitors.

That goal was the beginning of a rally for Utah that continued into the third period with a Dylan Fitze power play goal at the 2:40 mark. The tally followed a Marcus Vela tripping minor with 1:31 gone to pull Utah within two. Tarun Fizer and Charle-Eduoard D’Astous assisted.

Just past the midway point in the frame, Toledo’s lead was trimmed to just one as Tyler Penner found the back of the net for the Grizzlies. Trey Bradley and Nate Clurman assisted Penner at equal strength for Utah’s third straight goal.

Utah had another opportunity to score with the man advantage and tie the game when Gordi Myer was called for hooking at 16:22. The Walleye held off the Grizzlies on the penalty kill, giving Utah just 1:38 left in regulation to score.

With 55 seconds remaining, Trent Miner vacated the Utah net to bring on an extra skater, but Toledo was able to hold off the Grizzlies to secure the 5-4 win. The Walleye took the series lead, 2-1, with the Game 3 victory.

The Walleye took 29 shots to the Grizzlies’ 26 while both teams took the man advantage three times. Toledo scored twice on the power play while Utah found the back of the net once.

Billy Christopoulos earned the win in net for the Walleye with 22 saves on 26 shots. Trent Miner recorded the loss for Utah despite saving 10-of-11 shots after relieving Peyton Jones after Toledo’s fourth goal midway through the second period. Jones saved 14-of-18 shots for the Grizzlies.

The Walleye and Grizzlies will return to the ice for Game 4 on Friday, May 27, as Toledo looks to take the 3-1 series lead. Puck drop from the Maverik Center is set for 9:10 p.m. EDT.

With Toledo Walleye release