Photo Courtesy of the Toledo Walleye [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a301a361-2bbf-4986-8d37-e5fbe277ae8b.avif] Photo Courtesy of the Toledo Walleye For the third time in the last five post-seasons, the Toledo Walleye [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/game-day/walleye-dominate-game-4-of-western-conference-finals-hawkins-ties-franchise-playoff-record]have captured the Bruce Taylor Trophy as ECHL Western Conference Champions. The Fish eliminated the Kansas City Mavericks [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/game-day/down-but-not-out-mavericks-cut-western-conference-finals-deficit-in-toledo]with a 5-2 home victory Saturday at the Huntington Center. Toledo wins the best-of-seven series 4-1 and will meet the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals series between Florida and Trois-rivieres. The Lions lead that best-of-seven 3-2. Brandon Hawkins notched three points (1g-2a), Matt Anderson and Trenton Bliss both scored a pair of goals and Jan Bednar stopped 23 Kansas City shots to record the win. The Walleye, ranked second in the post-season with 3.50 goals per contest during the playoffs, got going early. Just over a minute and a half into the period, Jalen Smereck passed the puck to Matt Anderson and sent him on a breakaway to put the Fish on an early 1-0 lead. Anderson came into the game tied for second in plus-minus with a +11. Exactly three minutes later, Trenton Bliss made it 2-0 with a lucky goal in front of the net. The assists went to Smereck and Hawkins. The Mavericks narrowed the margin to 2-1 at 5:28 when Cade Borchardt buried a quick shot from in front of the net off a feed from Landon McCallum. Toledo responded right back at 14:03 as Bliss got his second goal of the evening with a tip-in in front of the net on the power play. Brandon Kruse and Hawkins picked up assists to make the score 3-1. With this assist, Hawkins broke the playoff assist record. The score remained that way until the third period, when Kansas City desperately tried to save their season. Cam Morrison brought them back to within 3-2 at 5:43 of the third, finishing a play that deflected off his body and in during a rush. The Walleye picked up a massive insurance goal at 12:25 by Anderson as he got his second of the night and gave the Fish a big momentum boost and a 4-2 advantage. As time began to tick down and the Huntington Center began to roar, Hawkins got the empty net goal to seal the 5-2 win and the Western Conference title. Jack LaFontaine made 28 saves in net for Kansas City in the loss. The Mavericks conclude the year with a 49-18-5 regular season record, totaling 103 points and finishing third in the ECHL. The team boasted a +78 goal differential. The Walleye advance to the Kelly Cup Finals for the third time in their last five post-season appearances after falling to Newfoundland in six games in 2019 and to Florida in five games in 2022. It is the fifth visit to the final round of the ECHL playoffs for a Toledo team, as the Toledo Storm won back-to-back Riley Cup championships in 1993 and 1994. The Western Conference Championship trophy is named in recognition of Bruce Taylor, who was the founding father of the West Coast Hockey League. Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals will take place Tuesday at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 Pm ET. Florida would also host a Game 7 if necessary Wednesday at that same time.
