ESTERO, Fla. — The Toledo Walleye's championship aspirations came to a halt as the Florida Everblades dashed the organization’s and the city's hopes of capturing an elusive Kelly Cup on Saturday night.
Florida took the Kelly Cup Finals 4 games to 1 as the Everblades knocked off the Walleye 4-2 in Game 5 at Hertz Arena.
Toledo took a 1-0 lead in the must-win game, but Florida scored four goals in the first period and held off a fierce pushback from the Walleye before an enthusiastic, sellout crowd of 7,674.
Matt Berry and John Albert scored for the Walleye. Goalie Billy Christopoulos finished with 18 saves.
Toledo was appearing in the Kelly Cup Finals for the second time. The Walleye fell to Newfoundland in six games in 2019. The Walleye were seeking their first Cup since the Toledo Storm captured back-to-back Riley Cup titles in 1993 and 1994.
“This is the second time, and it's tough,” Walleye coach Dan Watson said. “It's the group that made it really special, and that makes it hard. We worked so hard to get here. We have a great group of guys in that locker room pushing to achieve our goals. And it's just one that slipped away again.”
Toledo came into the Finals having won 10 of its past 11 games while outscoring its opponents 49-26 over that stretch. However, the Walleye could not continue its offensive excellence against Florida.
The Walleye scored 11 goals in the series.
Toledo could not solve Florida goalie Cam Johnson and a suffocating, physically pressing Everblades' defense. Johnson, who finished with 36 saves, earned MVP honors.
Walleye captain T.J. Hensick, who had an assist, may have played in his last game. Hensick, 36, has played in more than 960 pro games.
“Give Florida credit,” Hensick said. “They were the better team. But we gave it our all. We gave ourselves a chance. It's a disappointment. We finished second and it sucks. I don't know what my future holds, but it has been a pleasure and a blessing to play for this team.”
Christopoulos had a fabulous run in the playoffs, starting in all 21 games and winning 13. Christopoulos, a 2019 graduate of the Air Force Academy and a First Lieutenant, remains on active duty. He will now report to tech school at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.
“It's tough,” Christopoulos said. “Going into this year I knew it would probably be the end of it. I have that military commitment and I'm excited to do that. But it's tough. You spend your whole life playing this game and it was great for me. I couldn't have asked for a better season.”
Hensick came to Toledo for one last chance at a championship and finished second on the team in scoring during the playoffs.
“There's a lot of heartbreak and tears and hugs,” Hensick said. “You don't get to these moments in a season without being a close group. It's the closest team I've ever been on. It's tough when you come up just short.”
In the decisive Game 5 on Saturday, Florida led 4-2 after one period as the teams combined for six goals.
The Walleye had taken a 1-0 lead early, but Florida responded with three goals in less than three minutes to instantly build a two-goal cushion.
Toledo scored 4:07 into the game as Berry tallied his fifth goal of the playoffs on a rebound off of a shot by Ryan Lowney.
However, Florida tied it up at 1 with a power-play goal from Zach Solow near the midpoint of the first period.
The Everblades then scored two goals just seven seconds apart to take a 3-1 lead. Matteo Gennaro scored first for a 2-1 lead. On the ensuing faceoff, Levko Koper streaked down ice and beat Christopoulos for a two-goal edge.
Florida scored three goals on its first four shots of the game.
Toledo scored a power-play goal with 1:37 left in the first as Albert scored his 10th of the playoffs. The Walleye pulled back within a goal at 3-2.
However, Florida answered again just 18 seconds later as Solow scored his second of the first period to put the Everblades up 4-2.
Florida went on the first power play and took the momentum. The Everblades scored on four of seven shots in the first period.
“That first period, we got that early lead and from then on they were very opportunistic,” Watson said. “The mistakes we made, they cashed in on. We talked about having momentum and keeping it. But they did a really good job getting the goals they needed to. We pushed back. If we are up after the first period, we would be talking about something different.”
Neither team scored in the second period.
The Walleye went to their second power play 2:05 into the second period. But Toledo could not convert on the man advantage as Johnson came up with a couple of good stops to protect the two-goal lead.
“We worked hard and got shots on Johnson,” Walleye defenseman Randy Gazzola said. “He's the best goalie I've seen in this league. At the end of the day, they're a good team and they deserved it.”
At the game's midpoint, Toledo had a 24-9 edge in shots. However, Johnson was on his game and stopped 22 of those shots.
The Walleye had a 28-16 edge in shots on goal after out-shooting the Everblades 13-9 in the second.
Florida went on a power play five minutes into the third period and Christopoulos made a fine glove save on Alex Aleardi to keep it a two-goal game.
Watson pulled Christopoulos with 2:12 left for the extra attacker. But Toledo would pull no closer.
Toledo finished with a 38-22 edge in shots.
First Published June 12, 2022, 1:42 a.m.
