Blades Fall in Game Two; Head Home With Finals Tied 1-1

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The Florida Everblades are coming home with a split in hand, falling 5-1 to the Kansas City Mavericks in Game Two of the Kelly Cup Finals Saturday night at Cable Dahmer Arena.  

The Everblades struck first for the second straight game, as defenseman Zach Berzolla got the good guys on the board just 90 seconds after the opening draw. Berzolla connected with a wrist shot for his first goal of the playoffs, with Oliver Chau picking up an assist for the third straight game.

Florida’s 1-0 lead would hold up until the middle stages of the opening frame, as Kansas City’s Jeremy McKenna scored for the second straight contest, picking up a power-play goal at the 10:09 mark to knot the score at 1-1.

Kansas City’s power play would continue to click in the second period, as Max Andreev scored on the man advantage just 18 seconds into the middle frame, while Jacob Hayhurst followed with the Mavericks’ third power-play goal of the night at 8:21 to put the hosts on top 3-1 heading into the third period.

Cole Coskey and Andreev closed out the scoring for Kansas City with empty-net goals in the final two minutes.

The Everblades dominated Kansas City in the shot department 33-19, taking more shots than the Mavericks in each of the three periods. In goal, Cam Johnson made 16 saves and suffered the loss for the Blades, while Kansas City’s Jack LaFontaine made 32 saves and earned the win.

With the series knotted up at 1-1, action shifts to Hertz Arena for Game Three on Wednesday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m. The Everblades will also host Game Four on Friday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m., and Game Five, if necessary, on Saturday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m. Should the series go longer than five games, Kansas City would host Games Six and Seven on Monday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 12, respectively.

Tickets for Kelly Cup Finals games that will be played at Hertz Arena are may be purchased online by clicking HERE, in-person at the Fifth Third Bank Box Office at Hertz Arena, or by calling the Everblades office at 239-948-PUCK. Visit floridaeverblades.com for more information on the Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Germain Lexus and Scanlon Lexus and to purchase tickets for games played at Hertz Arena. 

---

BLADES BITS

With the series tied at 1-1, it marks the third time in the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs that the Everblades split the first two games on the road. Florida found themselves in a 1-1 series deadlock before going on to beat Jacksonville in seven games in the opening round and topping Adirondack in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Zach Berzolla’s early goal was his first marker of the 2024 postseason and just the second playoff goal of his professional career. The Howell, N.J. blueliner previously scored in last year’s Kelly Cup Playoffs as a member of the Cincinnati Cyclones. In the 2023-24 regular season, Berzolla tallied goals for three different teams – the Everblades, Cyclones and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

Oliver Chau has assists in three straight games, giving him six points on three goals and three helpers in the last three games. He has 10 points in the Blades’ last six playoff games, as he has collected three goals and seven assists in that span.

The Game Two setback snapped the Everblades’ seven-game winning streak in the Kelly Cup Finals and was also the team’s first loss this postseason when scoring first. Entering Saturday night’s contest, Florida was 12-0 when scoring first in the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Saturday Night’s Scoresheet 

   ---

JOIN THE FUN 

Tickets for home games in the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs presented by Germain Lexus and Scanlon Lexus are available now, as are 2024 Kelly Cup Playoff Packages, which include games in all four rounds. To learn more, please click HERE.

Season ticket plans for the 2024-25 campaign are on sale now! Become a Blades 365 Member for the 2024-25 season and enjoy incredible savings and benefits! To view the Blades 365 Membership savings, benefits, and options click HERE. 

Group Packages are available for a group of 10 or more! Everblades put FUN in FUNdraising! There is no handling of money or tickets and no limit to the amount of money your group can make with the Everblades' easy-to-run online Fundraiser! For more information, or to reserve a Fundraiser Night at an Everblades regular-season home game, call or text (239) 948-7825. 

Grab the newest and hottest Everblades merchandise by checking out the entire collection that is available online by visiting shop.floridaeverblades.com or at the Hertz Arena Pro Shop! 

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Watch every Florida Everblades game on FloHockey.TV. Listen to the exciting game action on ESPN Southwest Florida on 770 AM, 98.1 FM, 104.3 FM, or online at espnswfl.com or everblades.mixlr.com. Stay up to date by following the Blades on social media with all the latest news, scores, and promotions on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.