KC Mavericks lead ECHL Western Conference finals 3-1, could oust Komets Sunday
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas City leads the Western Conference Finals against Fort Wayne three games to one.
- Game 5 is Sunday, May 31 at 4:05 p.m.
- Kansas City won the Brabham Cup after multiple long winning streaks in 2025-26.
The Kansas City Mavericks are one win away from playing in the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Finals.
The pro-hockey Mavericks, who swept their first two playoff series of the postseason, were bested by the Fort Wayne Komets in Game 2 of this series — the Western Conference Finals. But two straight KC victories since then find the Mavericks leading this best-of-seven affair three wins to one.
Game 5 of the series could be the decider. It’s Sunday at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The Komets clearly have their backs to the wall. But should they win Game 5, Game 6 and, if needed, Game 7 would be played at Cable Dahmer Arena, the Mavericks’ home ice in Independence.
Let’s take a closer look at this series and what might come next.
ECHL Western Conference Finals so far
Here’s a look at how the Western Conference Finals series between the Mavericks and Fort Wayne Komets has played out thus far — and the schedule that remains.
Kansas City leads the best-of-seven series 3-1:
Game 1 (in KC): Mavericks 5, Komets 1
Game 2 (in KC): Komets 4, Mavericks 3
Game 3 (in Fort Wayne. Ind.): Mavericks 6, Komets 4
Game 4 (in Fort Wayne. Ind.): Mavericks 4, Komets 2
Game 5 (in Fort Wayne, Ind.): Sunday, May 31 at 4:05 p.m. CT
Game 6 (in KC, if necessary): Tuesday, June 2 at 7:05 p.m. CT
Game 7 (in KC, if necessary): Wednesday, June 3 at 7:05 p.m. CT
How KC Mavericks got here + what’s next
As noted above, the Mavericks are one win away from playing in the Kelly Cup Finals after recording series sweeps in their first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Mavericks won both of those best-of-seven series convincingly, eliminating first the Tahoe Knight Monsters and then the Allen Americans. But the Mavericks’ on-ice success began early in the regular season.
The Mavericks pulled off multiple lengthy winning streaks during their 2025-26 campaign. The KC franchise affiliated with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds this spring won the Brabham Cup — awarded annually to the team with the ECHL’s best win/loss record.
As for the “what’s next” part, the ultimate goal would be winning the Kelly Cup. To do that, the Mavs must first close out the Komets and then beat the winner that emerges from the series running parallel to KC-Fort Wayne: the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Florida Everblades are battling the Wheeling Nailers on that side of the league’s bracket. The Everblades lead the Eastern Conference Finals 3-0, so that series, too, could end this week. A Florida victory in Friday night’s Game 4 at Wheeling, Pennsylvania, would be the final chapter in the East, setting up the opponent for the team that emerges from the KC-Fort Wayne series.
If the Nailers win Friday and force a Game 5, it would be contested on Saturday, also in Wheeling, Pa. Games 6 and 7, if needed, would be played at the Everblades’ home arena in Estero, Fla.