For the first time this post-season, the Toledo Walleye found themselves in a win-or-go-home situation entering Game 5 of the Kelly Cup Final against the Trois-Rivieres Lions.
A Walleye win would send the series back to Toledo the following Tuesday; a loss would end their season and award the Kelly Cup to the Lions.
The biggest thorn in Toledo’s side during this series was Lions goaltender Luke Cavallin, and he saved perhaps his best performance for Game 5.
The 24-year-old netminder stopped 48 of 49 shots in a 4-1 Lions victory Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 4,777 at Colisee Videotron.
The win culminated a series that saw the Fish dominate in nearly every offensive category except the one that counted: the scoreboard. In the end, it was Trois-rivieres who walked away with the ultimate prize in five games.
In an attempt to match Trois-Rivieres’ physicality, Walleye head coach Pat Mikesch inserted Darian Pilon and Will Hillman into the lineup. Each delivered a massive hit to try and inject some attitude in the Walleye’s game.
While the move didn’t achieve the ultimate goal, it did set the tone for the opening frame.
The Lions went on three power plays in the first half of the period. Anthony Beauregard connected on the third chance, putting Trois-Rivieres ahead first for the fifth time in the series and 19th in 21 games during the post-season.
That goal held up through the first 20 minutes, even though Toledo had several quality looks and outshot the Lions 16-6.
It’s often dangerous for a team to get a lead, then go into defensive mode. The Lions, however, had the luxury of a hot goaltender in Cavallin, who came into the game with a playoff-best 1.55 goals-against average.
The Walleye fired 22 shots Cavallin’s way in the second period, only to have each one kicked or gloved aside like a pesky fly. Trois-Rivieres’ defense did their part, blocking several shots and swarming whenever Toledo tried to mount a strong net-front presence.
It took until the third period before Toledo finally penetrated the brick wall that was Cavallin. Matt Anderson found the back of the net on a nice setup by Billy Moskal to even the score 1-1.
Any momentum the Walleye hoped to get from that tally evaporated at the 9:00 mark of the third when Chris Jandric slipped a shot past the near side of Toledo netminder Jan Bednar, who played well enough to win for most of this series.
To Toledo’s credit, they never let up. Knowing their season was on the line, they continued to throw everything they had at Cavallin and the Lions defense.
Bednar came to the bench with three minutes left in favor of the extra attacker. Wyatt McLeod put the final nail in the Fish’s coffin with an empty-netter that went the length of the ice. Alex Beaucage added another empty-net goal, completing the 3-1 victory for the Lions and giving them their first-ever Kelly Cup Championship.
Hockey is often a game of inches. A pass just off a stick here, a freaky bounce there defined the Walleye’s fate in this series. For the third time in the last five years, they got to the Final, only to come away empty-handed.
For the Lions, it was their first trip to the championship series since entering the ECHL prior to the 2021-22 season. They became the second Canadian team in league history to win the Cup, joining the Newfoundland Growlers, who captured the title in 2019.
Cavallin earned the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award, going 15-5 with a 1.53 goals-against average in 20 post-season appearances. He allowed two goals or less in 17 of his 20 outings.
Photo Courtesy of the ECHL.