Everblades One Win Away from Kelly Cup After Dominating Mavericks

The Florida Everblades are on the brink of capturing the Kelly Cup, following a decisive 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Mavericks at Hertz Arena on Saturday night, June 13. With this win, the Everblades now hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven championship series and are positioned to secure their fourth title in five years and an ECHL record fifth overall. The decisive Game 6 is set for Monday night in Independence, Missouri.

“I think we understand the job’s not done,” said Everblades head coach Brad Ralph, emphasizing the team's need to remain focused and prepared. “We’ve got a veteran group in there, so it’s on us to make sure we stay humble and stay hungry and reset and recover for Monday night.”

After struggling in the early part of the series with losses of 6-0 and 5-2 in the first two games, Florida adapted their strategy. “Coming back here watching some video, resetting,” defenseman Cole Moberg explained. He added that having faced the Mavericks again allowed the team to learn from their previous errors. They capitalized on their home advantage, winning three consecutive games at Hertz Arena while maintaining an undefeated postseason record there.

Meanwhile, Kansas City’s coach Tad O’Had, who previously served with the Everblades, called for a more physical approach from his team. “It’s not nearly physical enough. We need to be more physical, the team that wants it the most,” he stressed as the Mavericks prepare for a crucial Game 6.

Florida’s players are equally determined, focusing on maintaining their momentum and discipline. “The same thing we’ve been doing the last couple of games, just working hard and being smart,” forward Jesse Lansdell noted, highlighting the importance of staying out of the penalty box. The Everblades’ power play has been particularly effective, netting three goals in Game 5 alone.

The significance of scoring first cannot be overstated, as the Everblades hold a 14-1-1 record when they get the opening goal. They set the tone early in Saturday’s game, scoring just 15 seconds in with a goal from Isaac Nurse. As the game progressed, Florida capitalized on Kansas City’s mistakes, extending their lead and securing a comfortable victory, leading to chants of “We want the Cup!” from the crowd.