Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Mavericks
Toledo Walleye Vs. Kansas City Mavericks Game 6: Standouts And Top Performers
The Kansas City Mavericks earned their spot in the franchise's first-ever ECHL Kelly Cup Finals after topping the Toledo Walleye, 7-1, in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday.
Forward Jeremy McKenna recorded a hat trick, and goaltender Jack LaFontaine made 31 saves for the Mavericks in the win. Kansas City will await the winner of the Florida Everblades and Adirondack Thunder to determine their opponent in the championship series.
Let's look at our standouts and top performers from Monday's Game 6.
Kansas City Mavericks
#12 Jeremy McKenna, F
McKenna had not scored a goal in three straight games but made up for lost time. The Mavericks forward opened the scoring at 16:20 in the first period, the first of his three goals, marking his third hat trick this season. McKenna led all skaters with four points (3-1-4), six shots on goal, and a +5 plus/minus rating.
#1 Jack LaFontaine, G
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We might have to start calling Jack LaFontaine "the closer." The Walleye threw the kitchen sink at the Mavericks goaltender in the third period, and while he saw his shutout bid end, LaFontaine stopped 16 of 17 in the frame. Overall, he stopped 31 of 32 and closed out his third series of the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Among all three series-clinchers, LaFontaine has turned aside a combined 116 of 121 (0.959 save percentage).
#44 Max Andreev, F
Max Andreev matched a postseason-high five shots on goal on Monday and was rewarded with his third goal of the playoffs in that four-goal third period for Kansas City. Andreev also picked up a secondary assist on McKenna's second goal in the second period and finished Game 6 with a +4 plus/minus rating.
#9 Nolan Sullivan, F
It would be remiss not to mention Nolan Sullivan's work in the faceoff dot on Monday and really throughout the entire postseason. The former University of Nebraska-Omaha captain won 60 percent of his faceoffs this past season, and has carried that over in Kansas City's playoff run. Sullivan was rewarded for ability to retain puck possession with the primary assist on McKenna's first goal, his first point since Game 4 of the first round.
Toledo Walleye
#28 Brandon Kruse, F
There were few positives to take away from Toledo on Monday, but Brandon Kruse was noticeable for all 60 minutes. The Toledo forward narrowly missed on a short-handed breakaway and tallied the primary assist to set up Matt Anderson's third-period goal.
