Dave Montrose| Special to The News-Press
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The Florida Everblades are Kelly Cup Champions for the third straight season.
When forward Matthew Wedman took a Will Reilly pass in the slot and buried it in the net three minutes into overtime on Saturday night, the Everblades became the first team in ECHL history to pull off a three-peat. The Blades came back from a 3-1 third-period deficit for a 4-3 overtime win over the Kansas City Mavericks in Game 5 of the Kelly Cup Finals to win the series four games to one.
"What an amazing win," Everblades coach Brad Ralph said. "To come back 3-1 in the third period and win in overtime. What an awesome show for our fans."
The Everblades also became the first franchise in ECHL history to win four total championships. And in a twist of fate, the last time a team clinched the Kelly Cup in overtime was in 2012, when the Everblades won their first title.Forward Oliver Chau, who scored 6 goals in the Finals, including a hat trick in Game 3, was named the June M. Kelly Playoff MVP.
"It's hard to do it again, and then it's hard to do it again," Chau said. "So for us to be able to do that as an organization, it's just unbelievable. It's a testament to everyone who has been here supporting the team."
After two periods, with the Mavericks up 3-1, a win looked uncertain and the likelihood grew that the series would return to Kansas City for Game 6.
The third period started with Kansas City defenseman Ryan Jones and Florida forward Bobo Carpenter getting into extracurricular activities and being sent to their respective boxes for roughing. Florida captain Joe Pendenza had an opportunity on the 4-on-4 when he skated in front of the KC crease. But he whiffed on the shot and when he tried to turn around, his second attempt missed to the right.
Previously: Florida Everblades win Game 4, one win away from three-peat as ECHL Kelly Cup Champions
"We just stuck to our game plan," Blades forward Bobo Carpenter said. "We didn't lose hope. Everyone on the bench, we had a good mindset. We knew we could do it. We've done it in the past and when you believe like that and you keep working at it, the bounces are going to go in."
The Mavericks held on for 9 minutes, with goalie Jack LaFontaine making tough saves, until Florida center Mark Senden broke through. On the play, Carpenter picked McKenna's pocket near the blue line and he and Senden skated forward with a 2-on-1. Carpenter passed across the ice to Senden, who went top shelf for the score.
The crowd grew increasingly frantic as time ticked down, with chants of, "We want the Cup!" breaking out as they looked for a hero. With 1:48, Senden became that hero as he literally lifted the team on his shoulders when a Cole Moberg shot went off his right shoulder and into the net to tie the game at 3.
With destiny having made its arrival, the Everblades took less than four minutes of overtime to finish off the comeback. Reilly took the puck in his own zone and skated up ice on the right side. He slipped a centering pass past a defender to Wedman, who swept the puck below LaFontaine's blocker and into the net.
"I don't think it's sunk in yet, but it's an incredible feeling having all my friends and family here. It's unbelievable," said Wedman, who arrived in Estero by a trade deadline deal in March.
The Mavericks came out in the first period with gusto, pouring on 14 shots. The Everblades were able to hold them off until the last minute when former Everblade and left winger David Cotton broke through with a goal.
The Everblades responded early in the second courtesy of a Carpenter breakaway. It started in the Everblades zone when Florida defenseman Zach Uens swatted the puck away from Andreev. Carpenter took it, sped forward, and flipped the shot up and in for the goal.
That put some energy back into the arena, but Andreev and the Mavericks were not done. Defenseman David Noël was on the left side wall when he slipped the puck up to Jacob Hayhurst. The left-winger passed the puck to Andreev at the top of the left face-off circle, who went top shelf and scored.
The Mavericks got a boost in the 16th minute of the period when Florida defenseman Zach Berzolla drew a call for hooking. On the ensuing power play, Kansas City forward Jeremy McKenna slipped the puck to his linemate, former Everblade Jake Jaremko, who was open above the left face-off circle. Jaremko fired a pass to the front of the crease to Nolan Walker, who redirected the puck into the net to make it 3-1.
Goalie Cam Johnson, who won the last two postseason MVP awards for Florida, made sure that would be it as he stopped 28 of 31 shots for the win.
