Latest news with #KellyCupPlayoffs
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions Advance To Eastern Conference Finals
The Trois-Rivieres Lions are now one of four teams still standing in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Lions eliminated the Norfolk Admirals 6-3 Wednesday night at Colisee Videotron to take the North Division Finals series 4-2. Head coach Ron Choules' squad came out strong in a back-and-forth battle, taking an early lead two minutes into the game when Andrew Coxhead beat Admirals goaltender Thomas Milic top shelf with a wrister from the left-wing circle. The Admirals responded with two goals of their own to take a brief lead before the end of the opening frame. Connor Fedorek blasted home his first goal this postseason off an offensive zone faceoff to tie things up 1-1. Shortly after, Justin Young redirected a feed from Josh McDougall out front to give Norfolk a 2-1 lead. It was Young's first of the post-season and a key momentum swing for the Admirals. The Lions regained momentum late in the first period but were unable to capitalize again before the intermission. The second period saw Trois-Rivières carry their momentum forward with two unanswered goals to retake the lead. Five minutes in, the Lions capitalized on a loose puck in the Admirals' defensive zone as Chris Jandric found the net to tie the game 2-2. Midway through the frame, Jakov Novak gave Trois-Rivières a 3-2 lead with a shot from the slot, putting the home side back in front. Norfolk managed to tie the game once more after a puck deflected off Jandric's skate and found its way past Lions goaltender Luke Cavallin. Nicolas Guay gave the Lions a 4-3 lead early in the third period, beating Milic with a shot over the right shoulder. The Admirals pushed hard in search of the equalizer, generating pressure throughout the frame, but the score held as the clock wound down. With under two minutes remaining, the Lions extended their lead on a goal from Anthony Beauregard, sealing the game and the series. Beauregard scored his second of the game on an empty-netter to seal the 6-3 final, ending the Admirals' season. Trois-Rivières now advances to face the three-time defending Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 1 will take place Saturday at Hertz Arena in Estero, with puck drop scheduled for 7 Pm ET.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Knight Monsters' Inaugural Season Ends; Mavericks Clinch Western Conference Finals Berth
The storybook season for the Tahoe Knight Monsters is over. After sweeping through their first-ever playoff series, they were handed the same treatment by the Kansas City Mavericks in the Mountain Division Finals. On Friday, the Mavericks completed a sweep of the series with a convincing 6-0 shutout in front of a packed crowd at Tahoe Blue Event Center. Max Andreev opened the scoring for the Mavericks just 1:42 into the first period for a 1-0 lead. In the ensuing minutes, Tahoe had chances to score with a four-minute power play and a penalty shot, but could not solve Mavericks netminder Jack LaFontaine. Cade Borchardt and Jackson Berezowski also scored in the opening frame, helping Kansas City take a commanding 3-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes. Damien Giroux added to the lead just 21 seconds into the second period, and the game was never in doubt. Jake McLaughlin scored the final goal midway through the third period, assisted by Zack Trott. Jack LaFontaine was stellar in goal, stopping all 25 shots he faced to earn his fourth shutout of the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the most of any goaltender in the league. The Mavericks outshot Tahoe 33-25 and killed off all five penalties they faced to finish a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. With the win, the Mavericks advance to the Western Conference Final for the second straight season. They will host the winner of the Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Walleye series at Cable Dahmer Arena, with dates and times to be announced soon. It was a disappointing finish for the Knight Monsters, but the fans at Tahoe Blue Event Center cheered as their beloved team vacated the ice, saluting them for an incredible campaign. The send-off was well-deserved. The Knight Monsters certainly have a lot to be proud of in their first season in the ECHL. Bigger and better things are sure to come.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Takeaways From Game 1 Action Of Kelly Cup Division Finals
Photo Courtesy of the Florida Everblades Three of the four Division Finals series got underway Friday, with some games featuring goaltending duels and others slugging it out on offense. Here are takeaways from the action. No Overtime Necessary The Florida Everblades won each of their four games in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in sudden-death overtime. They became the first team in ECHL post-season history to sweep a four-game series by winning each in OT. Advertisement So what would happen if the defending Kelly Cup champions were given a big lead? That question was answered in Game 1 of the South Division Finals Friday against the Orlando Solar Bears at Hertz Arena. The Blades built a 5-0 lead and hung on to win 5-3, taking the first game of the series. Florida used a four-goal second period to jump on the Solar Bears, with five different skaters lighting the lamp in the game. The Everblades grabbed the momentum in the first period when defenseman Cole Moberg fired in a one-timer from the right point at 5:38, giving Florida a 1-0 lead. A power-play goal by Jesse Lansdell 1:34 into the second period extended the Everblades' lead to 2-0. They struck for three more goals in a 6:33 span to pull ahead 5-0. Jordan Sambrook, Colton Hargrove and Carson Gicewicz each potted goals to give their team what appeared to be a dominant lead. Advertisement The Solar Bears tried to mount a comeback by scoring three unanswered goals of their own in the third period. Hudson Thornton scored at 1:25, Ara Nazarian added a tally at the 6:44 mark and Djibril Touré made the score 5-3 at 14:36. Florida hung on, however, claiming the 5-3 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Florida outshot Orlando 27-18, and Cam Johnson made 15 saves to improve to 5-0 in the playoffs. Orlando goalies Jon Gillies and Ryan Fanti logged 14 and eight saves, respectively. Everblades Head Coach Brad Ralph picked up his 100th ECHL playoff win, becoming the first head coach to reach the century mark in Kelly Cup post-season play. Ralph is 100-58 all-time, including an 80-40 mark leading the Blades in the post-season. Advertisement Game 2 is Saturday in Estero, with puck drop set for 7 Pm ET. A First For Jones Great goaltending was the story at Colisée Vidéotron in Trois-Rivieres between the Lions' Hunter Jones and the Norfolk Admirals' Thomas Milic. It was Jones who got the better of the duel, stopping all 16 shots faced in a 1-0 thriller over the Admirals. Jones earned his first shutout in a Lions sweater, guiding his club to a 1-0 lead in the North Division Finals. The Lions limited Norfolk to just two shots in the second period and took the lead during a 4-on-4 sequence on a goal by Xavier Cormier, his first of the post-season. Advertisement Trois-Rivières maintained their defensive dominance in the third, successfully fending off a 6-on-5 situation late in the game. Milic stood tall in his fifth consecutive playoff start, stopping 34 of 35 shots in a tough loss. Game 2 is Sunday afternoon in Trois-Rivieres, with puck drop set for 3 Pm ET. Spectacular Spezia On the opposite end of the scale, offense was the order of the night in Toledo, with the Walleye edging the Fort Wayne Komets 5-4 to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Central Division Finals series. It's been a tough last couple of months for Walleye forward Tyler Spezia, as he returned following an injury. His team was certainly glad to get him back, as Spezia earned two points on a goal and an assist. Advertisement The Komets struck first on a Blake Murray goal at 8:30 of the opening period. The Walleye would even the score at the 12:12 mark as Colby Ambrosio got his first goal of the playoffs. Toledo took the lead just 41 seconds later on a Colin Swoyer tally from the blue line. Spezia earned the secondary helper on the play. At 14:20, Alex Aleardi tied the game back up 2-2 for Fort Wayne. The score remained that way headed into the first intermission. The offense picked up with five goals between both sides in the middle frame. The Komets would restore their lead with an unassisted goal by Ethan Keppen. Spezia would get his first playoff goal and tie the game 3-3 at 10:55. Advertisement Fort Wayne went right back in front at 13:13 with Aleardi getting his second goal of the game. After that, it was all Toledo. The Walleye took control in the final three minutes of the second period when Trenton Bliss tied the game 4-4 with a tip-in goal to the corner of the net, sneaking past Fort Wayne goaltender Nathaniel Day. Brandon Hawkins and Moulton tallied the assists on the play. With just 16 seconds remaining in the period, Matt Anderson would give Toledo the lead, 5-4, which ended up being the game winner. Bliss and Hawkins picked up the apples. The third period was playoff hockey at its best, featuring plenty of physicality and intense pressure on both sides. Advertisement A called-off Fort Wayne goal and a late power play chance gave them every opportunity to tie this game. But the Fish fed off their home crowd's energy and held on for the win. Game 2 is Saturday night at the Huntington Center, with puck drop scheduled for 7:15 Pm ET.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Adirondack Announces Resignation Of Head Coach MacArthur
The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, have announced that Pete MacArthur has resigned as head coach of the team to pursue other opportunities. MacArthur has been an integral part of the Thunder organization both on and off the ice. As a player, he represented the team with passion and consistency over four seasons, amassing 175 points (3rd all-time), 122 assists (2nd all-time), and 202 games played (4th all-time). His leadership continued behind the bench, where he served as head coach for three seasons. This season, Adirondack finished 26-41-3-2, good for 57 points. MacArthur guided the team to the Kelly Cup Playoffs twice — including a remarkable run to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Decisions like these are always difficult, but MacArthur looks back fondly on his time with Adirondack. 'What an honor it has been to play and coach for Adirondack,' MacArthur said in a statement. 'It's never easy moving on, but it is time for family to come first. We are forever grateful for the amazing memories and countless friendships we have made here. We will miss the fans and the community who support the team so strongly and make our arena truly one of a kind.' 'Having the chance to play and coach in your backyard is a privilege that I never took for granted and will cherish forever,' MacArthur added. 'Thank you to everyone who has made the ride so special.' The Clifton Park, New York native served as the team's captain for three seasons before moving behind the bench. Following four years at Boston University, MacArthur played 190 games in the American Hockey League for Bridgeport, Rockford, San Antonio, Peoria and Lake Erie and totaled 29 goals and 57 assists for 86 points. 'We want to sincerely thank Pete MacArthur for his tremendous contributions to the Adirondack Thunder both on the ice and in the community,' President Jeff Mead said. 'Pete's passion, leadership, and dedication have left a lasting impact on our organization and our fans. We are grateful for everything he has done and wish him and his family all the very best in the next chapter of their journey.' The search for the fifth head coach in Adirondack Thunder history has begun. Season tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now! For more information, call the front office at 518-480-3355 or visit
