Mavericks Dominate Everblades in Game 1 of Kelly Cup Finals

The Kansas City Mavericks secured a commanding 6-0 victory over the Florida Everblades in Game 1 of the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals, held Friday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. The two teams are set to clash again on Saturday evening in Missouri.

Florida struggled to find its rhythm early in the game, marking the first time this postseason the Everblades failed to score the opening goal. Jakov Novak put Kansas City ahead by netting his sixth goal of the playoffs at 9:34 into the first period. The Mavericks continued to dominate, outshooting Florida 10-2 in the opening frame, and extended their lead to 2-0 when Hudson Wilson scored his first playoff goal at 17:23.

This two-goal deficit was a first for the Everblades in the playoffs, as they had previously led every game they played in the postseason. Kansas City then erupted in the second period, adding four more goals to their tally. Jack Randl found the net just over two minutes into the period, followed by Luke Loheit at the 12:10 mark. A power-play goal from Landon McCallum and an even-strength goal from Jimmy Glynn, scored just 24 seconds apart, pushed Kansas City’s lead to 6-0 at 16:36.

Both teams registered eight shots on goal during the second period, while the final frame ended without any scoring. However, it was not without drama, as a confrontation at 17:33 led to a combined total of 48 penalty minutes, including two 10-minute misconduct penalties, one for each team.

Notably, Kansas City's first goal ended Florida’s streak of scoring first in every playoff matchup this year, a run that had reached 14 games.

Game 2 of the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals will take place on Saturday, June 6, at 7:05 p.m. in Kansas City.