INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- The Kelly Cup is coming back to Southwest Florida. 

With a 5-4 double-overtime victory in Game Six of the 2026 Kelly Cup Finals presented by Lexus Dealers of Southwest Florida – the second-longest game in Kelly Cup Finals history –the Florida Everblades are Kelly Cup Champions for the fourth time in five years. 

After losing the first two games of the series on the road, the Everblades rattled off four straight victories over the Kansas City Mavericks to become the first team in ECHL history to win five Kelly Cups. Florida’s Game Six win was the only game won by the road team in this series. Florida trailed 4-1 more than 11 minutes into the third period, but three goals by the Everblades in the final 8:41 of regulation forced overtime.

Isaac Nurse found the net at 15:24 of the game’s second overtime period to snap a 4-4 tie and set off the celebration after almost five hours of intense, championship-level hockey.

Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson became the first three-time winner of the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award after posting a 16-3-1 record with a 1.93 GAA and a .927 save percentage this postseason.

As was the case for the 17^th time in 20 games this postseason, the Everblades scored first. Just 3:21 after the opening draw, Kyle Betts redirected a blast from the point by Zach Berzolla for a quick 1-0 lead. 

Moments after a holding penalty was whistled on Anthony Romano, Kansas City appeared to knot the score with 1:20 left in the opening frame. After pulling the goaltender for a sixth attacker, the Mavericks found the net, but the goal was waved off due to a high stick on the shot. Unfortunately, the Mavericks ultimately knotted the score on a power-play goal by Landon McCallum with 45.7 seconds left in the period. 

After taking the game’s first eight shots on goal, with Kansas City needing more than six minutes to register its first of the contest, the Everblades held a 14-7 shot advantage after one period of play.

The Mavericks drew first blood in the second period, taking their first lead of the game on shot by Casey Carreau from the high slot at 5:49 of the second period for a 2-1 Kansas City lead. Hudson Wilson doubled the home team’s advantage to 3-1 with a shorthanded goal at 13:18, just two seconds before the Everblades’ second power-play shift of the period and the game expired.

Florida applied heavy pressure throughout and after a late power-play shift in the final five minutes of the middle frame, but was unable to cut into Kansas City’s two-goal lead. Jakov Novak made it 4-1 for the Mavericks with a four-on-four-goal 43 seconds before the second intermission. Both sides took seven shots on goal in the middle frame.

Despite trailing by three goals, the Everblades continued the pressure in the third period and, boy, did it pay off.

With Kansas City holding onto its big lead, Gianfranco Cassaro and Anthony Romano got the Everblades’ rally started, scoring goals 84 seconds apart to cut the Mavericks’ lead to 4-3. 

First, Cassaro buried a feed from Hudson Elynuik at the 11:19 mark, with Jesse Lansdell also picking up an assist. Then, Romano took a shot by Cassaro that hit the back wall and knocked the puck home at 12:43. On the power-play goal, Elynuik added his second helper of the contest as Florida capitalized on its fifth power-play night.

Trailing 4-3, Johnson was pulled for an extra attacker with 1:35 to play. The Everblades applied intense pressure, taking three shots on goal before captain Oliver Chau stuffed home his sixth goal of the playoffs with 13.2 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 4-4 and force overtime. Romano and Cassaro both had the assists.

Florida dominated the third-period shot count 16-2, matching Kansas City’s entire shot total for the game, as the Blades outshot the Mavericks 37-16 in regulation.

The first overtime belonged to the goaltenders. Both teams had ample opportunities, but both Johnson and his counterpart, Jack LaFontaine of Kansas City, were up to the task. Johnson turned aside all seven shots he faced, raising his save total to 19 after 80 minutes of play. LaFontaine tacked on another nine saves, giving him 42 stops through four full periods of play. The Everblades carried a 46-23 edge in shots on goal as the teams took a 4-4 deadlock into double overtime.

In double overtime, Florida continued to apply pressure on the offensive end, while Johnson made several huge stops on the defensive side. At 15:34 of the night’s fifth full period, Nurse connected for the game-winner from the sharp angle, with Cole Moberg and Betts picking up the helpers as the celebration was on after four hours and 45 minutes of hockey – the second-longest game in Kelly Cup Finals history.

Florida outshot Kansas City 56-28.

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BLADES BITS
The Everblades are the only team in ECHL history that has won not just four, but five Kelly Cups. Winners of the organization’s first Kelly Cup in 2012, the Blades also won three consecutive Kelly Cups in 2022, 2023 and 2024.  
 
Florida has appeared in the Kelly Cup Finals eight times, taking home the hardware five times. Including the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the Everblades sport an all-time postseason record of 253-121 and have outscored the opposition 1,008-851. 
 
With a 16-3 record this postseason and a fifth Kelly Cup, Everblades Head Coach and General Manager Brad Ralph added to his ECHL postseason records for games coached (188) and wins (121). The 2026 Kelly Cup is Ralph’s fourth behind the bench, making him the first head coach to guide his team to four ECHL Championships. 

Everblades goaltender Cam Johnson, the only three-time winner of the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award, is also in a class by himself. Johnson holds league postseason records for appearances (98), minutes (6,133), wins (73), and shutouts (16).

Gianfranco Cassaro had a three-point third period with one goal and two assists in just his fourth outing of the playoffs. Hudson Elynuik added two assists in the third frame, while Anthony Romano chipped in with a goal and an assist in the final frame of regulation. Elynuik’s two-point performance was his third straight two-point game.

Oliver Chau’s game-tying goal late in the last minute of regulation gave the Blades captain three goals in the last two games.

Kyle Betts’ first-period goal was his first tally of the Kelly Cup Finals and third goal of the postseason. Betts had one goal in the opening round versus Savannah and tacked on the game-winner in the second-round clincher against South Carolina. He also has six assists in the 2026 postseason.

Zach Berzolla registered his first point of the Finals, assisting on Betts’ game-opening goal. The defenseman has six points on two goals and four assists this postseason.

Monday Night’s Scoresheet

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