The Florida Everblades are ECHL playoff champions for the second straight season. The Everblades, who began play in 1998, won their third Kelly Cup in six ECHL finals appearances all-time since 2004, by finishing a four-step sweep of the Idaho Steelheads with a 4-3 win in Estero, Fla. on Friday night. Tyler Irvine (Merrimack) notched the game-winning goal with 12 minutes remaining in regulation to break a three-all tie, with an assist going to Brandon Hickey (Boston University).
Cam Johnson (North Dakota) earned the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award for the second consecutive year, after backstopping the Everblades to the title with a 16-4-2 record and a 2.10 goals-against average in 22 postseason contests this spring. He stopped 32 out of 35 shots in the clinching contest to close out the Everblades 25th anniversary season.
Other players with NCAA experience who were part of Florida's 2023 playoff run included Ashton Calder (Lake Superior/North Dakota/Penn State), William Calverley (RIT), Oliver Chau (UMass/Quinnipiac), Cameron Darcy (Northeastern), Lukas Kaelble (Lake Superior/Clarkson), Logan Lambdin (Michigan State), Ben Masella (St. Lawrence), John McCarron (Cornell), Zachary Uens (Merrimack) and Blake Winiecki (St. Cloud).
Calverley scored the only goal of the game in Florida's 1-0 triumph in Game Three on Wednesday, while Lambdin notched two goals and set up another in a 5-3 win in Game Two. Chau potted the game-winner in Game One in the Everblades' 3-2 overtime victory, after setting up the tying goal in the third period.
