Isaac Nurse’s go-ahead goal at 15:24 of the fifth period lifted the Florida Everblades to a 5-4 double-overtime victory over the Kansas City Mavericks in Game 6 on Monday night, securing their fourth Kelly Cup in five seasons.
Monday night didn’t end the way anyone would’ve drawn it up—especially not after the Florida Everblades found themselves down 4-1 heading into the third period.
By the time the ice finally cooled, Florida had turned the ECHL final into a fight all the way to double overtime, winning 5-4 over the Kansas City Mavericks in Game 6 to claim their fourth Kelly Cup title in the past five seasons.
Isaac Nurse delivered the deciding moment at 15:24 into the fifth period. His goal came from a sharp-angle shot from below the face-off circle, the kind of finish that punishes a delayed reaction and rewards the patience to stay dangerous.
Florida’s comeback didn’t arrive in a single wave—it came as three unanswered markers that pushed the game into extra time. Gianfranco Cassaro, Anthony Romano, and Oliver Chau each found the net to erase the Mavericks’ advantage. Chau was the spark at the last possible second, scoring with just 14 seconds left after a net-front scramble.
Between the drama and the final horn, Cam Johnson stood as the Everblades’ backbone. The Florida netminder was named the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player, finishing the postseason with a 16-3 record, a 1.93 goals-against average, and a .921 save percentage. Johnson has been part of this program’s winning identity before too—he claimed playoff MVP honors in 2022 and 2023.
Florida’s path to this title carried another kind of momentum: the Everblades were down 2-0 in the final against Kansas City, then answered with four straight wins. Those victories included three games that needed overtime, and the result was an ECHL-record fifth Kelly Cup championship.
The Everblades’ success is also woven into the wider hockey ecosystem. Florida is affiliated with the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues, while the Mavericks are an affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.
Florida Everblades Kelly Cup ECHL Kansas City Mavericks double overtime Isaac Nurse Cam Johnson playoffs MVP Gianfranco Cassaro Anthony Romano Oliver Chau