AT A GLANCE
KELLY CUP FINALS
Game 1: Las Vegas 2, Florida 1
Game 2: Florida 7, Las Vegas 2
Game 3: Florida 4, Las Vegas 3, OT
Game 4: Florida 3, Las Vegas 1
Game 5: Florida 3, Las Vegas 2 (Florida wins series 4-1)
ESTERO — After a postseason run where every bounce seemed to go Florida’s way inside Germain Arena, it was only fitting that things went again that way on Wednesday night.
After 14 years of waiting, the drought is finally over. The Florida Everblades beat the Las Vegas Wranglers 3-2 in thrilling overtime fashion on Wednesday night to win the Kelly Cup for the first time in team history.
The victory completed a perfect 11-0 postseason run at home for the Everblades, who needed every bit of luck to pull out the win.
“The hockey gods were on our side,” Florida coach Greg Poss said. “You can only control so many things and then you have to pray and hope things go your way, and we were blessed.”
The championship-winning goal came after the teams had played nearly 65 minutes of dead-even hockey. With the game tied 2-2, Ryan Donald lofted a pass to Matt Beca, who was skating hard into the Wranglers zone. But just as he did for the team’s first goal of the game with Justin Shugg, Beca put a perfect pass on the stick of rookie Brandon MacLean, who buried the chance to set off the celebration.
“What an unbelievable opportunity,” MacLean said. “Beca found me at just the right time and I can’t even describe how good this feels.”
But if it weren’t for goalie John Muse, who recorded 41 saves and was named the series MVP, Florida might have not even been playing in overtime.
Las Vegas’ best chance to take the lead in regulation came at the 14:40 mark of the period, when forward Adam Miller got behind the Florida defense. With a one-on-one and only Muse in his way, Miller couldn’t get his shot by the goalie, who made a spectacular save to keep the game tied.
“He was just unbelievable,” Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said. “That’s what you need to win a championship … he was spectacular.”
Florida jumped out to an early lead, quickly igniting the sellout crowd. The Everblades took a 1-0 lead at the 12:07 mark of the first, when Beca delivered a perfect backdoor pass to a charging Shugg, who buried the shot. The play was very reminiscent of a connection the pair made for a key goal late in Game 3.
Later in the first, after the Everblades crashed the net, Mike Ratchuk found himself in the right place at the right time as he banged home a loose puck past Wranglers goalie Joe Fallon. The goal came at the 18:46 mark and was set up by traffic in front of the net created by Trevor Bruess and Matt Marquardt.
With the fans behind them and all the bounces seemingly going Florida’s way, it seemed like the team was set to cruise to a victory. But the Wranglers had other plans.
Las Vegas scored a goal in the second period and another at the beginning of the third to put all the pressure on Florida.
The Everblades nearly folded, but Muse kept them in it, saving 10 of 11 third period shots to help force overtime.
During the third intermission, Florida regrouped and came out in the extra session gunning for the title.
“We looked around and said that if back when training camp began that if all we needed was one goal to win it all we’d be in a pretty good position,” Beca said. “That’s when we relaxed and came out ready to finish it off.”
For Mathieu Roy, the Everblades captain and the longest-tenured member of the team, the moment was almost too much to handle.
“It’s everyone together, that’s how we did this,” an emotional Roy said after the game. “This is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of and when I saw that puck go in, it was just unreal.”
* * *
EVERBLADES 3, WRANGLERS 2 (OT)
Las Vegas 0 1 1 0—2
Florida 2 0 0 1—3
First period — 1. Florida, Shugg 7 (Beca, Donald), 12:07. 2. Florida, Ratchuk 4 (Bruess, Marquardt), 18:46. Penalties — Piche FLA (tripping), 5:47; May LV (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:07; Smith LV (fighting-major), 16:33; Weston LV (roughing), 16:33; Irwin FLA (roughing), 16:33; Piche FLA (fighting-major), 16:33; Quick FLA (roughing), 16:33.
Second period — 3. Las Vegas, Goldie 3 (May, Miller), 9:26. Penalties — Fallon LV (delay of game), 1:52; Lunden LV (interference on the goalkeeper), 6:25; May LV (unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:42; Piche FLA (roughing), 9:42; Marquardt FLA (slashing ), 13:32; Piche FLA (tripping), 16:54.
Third period — 4. Las Vegas, MacArthur 6 (Francis), 0:47. Penalties — MacArthur LV (hooking), 7:00.
OT — 5. Florida, MacLean 4 (Donald, Beca), 4:54. Penalties — No penalties.
Shots on goal — Las Vegas 13-17-11-2—43. Florida 9-11-5-4—29.
Power-play opportunities — Las Vegas 0/4; Florida 0/4.
Goalies — Las Vegas, Fallon 7-3-1-0 (29 shots, 26 saves). Florida, Muse 10-2-0-0 (43 shots, 41 saves).
A — 7,290. Officials — Krebsbach, Trempe, Stagnone.
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2012 KELLY CUP FINALS
Game 5: Everblades win Kelly Cup
- Video: Blades win the Kelly Cup
- Video: Hockey Fight - Sebastien Piche & Robbie Smith
- Photos: Everblades win Kelly Cup for first time
- Story: Blades players walk off with Cup as Brush reflects on title
- Story: Everblades crowned champions
- Live Updates: Everblades take on Wranglers in Game 5 of Kelly Cup Finals
- Story: Blades trying not to think about winning Cup heading into tonight
Game 4
- Video: Game 4: Blades edge closer to Cup
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals: Hockey Fight -- Florida's Ryan Donald vs. Las Vegas' Michael Busto
- Video: Everblades preview Game 4
- Photos: Everblades win Game 4 of ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs
- Everblades on cusp of Cup with 3-1 win
- Live Updates: Everblades take on Wranglers in Game 4 of Kelly Cup Finals
- Story: Blades hoping to keep momentum going into Game 4 after 3-day break
Game 3
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals - Blades win OT thriller
- Video: Everblades preview Game 3
- Photos: Blades 4, Wranglers 3
- Story: Everblades take time to rest after big win in Game 3
- Story: Everblades complete comeback in Game 3 to take 2-1 series lead
- Story: David Moulton - Friday's Game 3 may decide whether this is Blades' year
- Story: Series shifts to Germain Arena for Game 3
Game 2
- Chat archive: Everblades take on Wranglers in Game 2 of Kelly Cup Finals
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals: Game 2 Postgame
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals - Florida coach Greg Poss previews Game 2
- Photos: Game 2 - Blades 7, Wranglers 2
- Story: Blades draw even with 7-2 victory in Game 2
- Story: Diehards trek to Vegas to support Everblades
Game 1
- Chat archive: Everblades take on Wranglers in Game 1 of Kelly Cup Finals
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals - Players talk following Game 1
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals - Coaches Postgame Comments
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals Pregame - Game 1
- Video: Everblades enjoy Las Vegas
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals - Interview with Florida coach Greg Poss
- Video: Kelly Cup Preview
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals - Everblades forward Matt Beca
- Video: Kelly Cup Finals - Florida Coach Greg Poss
- Photos: ECHL Kelly Cup Finals: Game 1, Las Vegas 2, Florida
- Photos: Florida Everblades in Las Vegas
- Story: Everblades fall just short in Game 1 to Wranglers
- Story: Las Vegas, Florida more than just sunny climates for hockey players
- Story: Blades enjoy day in Vegas, but ready for Game 1 Monday
- Story: Everblades have passed late-season chemistry test
- Story: Raymond, Rutherford bring championship swagger to Everblades
- Story: Blades see similarities with Wranglers
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Comments » 13
tmetz writes:
Great to see the Blades win, been going to the games since they opened 15 years ago. Good to see them celebrate tonight and this off season! Congrats!!!
vette444 writes:
CONGRATULATIONS to our Florida Everblades, your entire team and coaching staff is the best of the best in your league and you have proven that tonight. Southwest Florida should be so proud of you :)))
Sanity writes:
Yawn boring sport.
NaplesKahuna76 writes:
Seems a lot of residents use to attend Everblades games for years! Without a Kelly cup win and ticket prices sky rocketing over the years, attendance was down this year. The local media had to hype up the Everblades finally making it to Kelly cup to spark peoples interest and go spend money! Wow, how they followed and get brain washed soo easily. I am sure it was an exciting game though and congrats to the Florida Everblades!!!
Throat_Yogurt writes:
Was the game even sold out?
Gifted1 writes:
The game was sold out.
Hockey is far from boring.
It is okay, if your not a fan, but Hockey is not boring.
Kahuna very passive aggressive with a paragraph tearing down the experience and a sentence supporting it.
Make more money and the ticket prices wouldn't throw your monthly budget off.
naplesregular writes:
Great win Blades. Very opportunistic play. Too bad there are those who have nothing better to do than write negative things in these blogs about such a superlative accomplishment. Glad I don't maintain relations with such sour people.
KennyR (Inactive) writes:
Congrats to the Everblades! The third time is a charm.
Bigkondorsback (Inactive) writes:
Idiot.
515mike writes:
Great team and a great win last night...very fun to be a part of! CONGRATULATIONS Everblades!! Thank you for an entertaining season of hockey! Go Blades!!
tacoma4909 writes:
Congratulations to ALL players, coaches,owners and the staff at Germain arena.
Quality product !!
Yurko writes:
Watching the Blades win the Kelly Cup was a great experience. After taking a 2-0 lead in the 1st period, the Blades got too defensive. It's one thing to play defensively with a 2 goal lead in the middle of the 3rd period, quite another to play that way when you still have 2 full periods left in the game. The results were that the Wranglers outshot the Blades 25-5 during one stretch in the 2nd/3rd periods and tied the game. If it weren't for MVP John Muse's great goaltending, the Wranglers would have scored again in the 3rd period on a breakaway...and probably won the game. However, he made a great save and the Blades came back reinvigorated during OT. They deserved the OT victory...and the Kelly Cup. Kudos to the team! It was great seeing the Kelly Cup held high over players' heads in the celebration following the game -- like seeing the Stanley Cup championship game on a lesser, but still great, scale. Well done!
swfl_ff writes:
Congratulations on a great season! Hope you can do it again next year!
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