KC Mavericks led 3-1 in Kelly Cup Finals Game 3. Then Florida flipped the script

The Kansas City Mavericks opened the road portion of their first Kelly Cup Finals with a 6-3 loss to the Florida Everblades on Wednesday evening at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla.

After splitting the first two games of the ECHL’s championship series in Kansas City, the Mavericks did all of their scoring in the opening period of Game 3.

Jacob Hayhurst was first and then David Cotton found the net twice, pushing KC ahead 3-1 entering the second stanza. But that lead, so precious in a best-of-seven title series, would slowly fade.

The host Everblades peppered the Mavericks’ net in the middle period, putting 19 shots on goal to KC’s four. And Florida more importantly put another second goal on the board to trail by just one entering the final frame.

The Everblades pulled even with a goal from Oliver Chau, then went ahead 4-3 on Logan Lambden’s second strike of the night. Chau later added two more goals of his own for a playoff hat trick.

Game 4 of the Kelly Cup Finals is scheduled for Friday in Estero, Fla., at 6:30 p.m. Central Time.

This story was originally published June 5, 2024 at 9:09 PM with the headline "KC Mavericks led 3-1 in Kelly Cup Finals Game 3. Then Florida flipped the script."