Walleye advance to Kelly Cup Finals with game five victory over KC

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The Toledo Walleye are heading back to the Kelly Cup Finals after defeating the Kansas City Mavericks on Saturday night at the Huntington Center.

The Walleye won 5-2 in game five of the Western Conference Finals to clinch their second trip to the Kelly Cup Finals in four years and their third since 2019.

The fish advance to face the winner of the series between the Trois-Rivières Lions and Florida Everblades. The Lions took a 3-2 series lead after winning Saturday night.

The Walleye last appeared in the Kelly Cup Finals in 2022.

Hooked the title, reeled in the glory. WALLEYE TAKE THE WEST! 🏆🐟 @ToledoWalleye #RacetotheKellyCup pic.twitter.com/7qA5Uz2xDG
— ECHL (@ECHL) May 25, 2025

How they got here

Saturday’s win for the Walleye improves their 2025 playoff record to 12-2.

The fish swept the Indy Fuel in the Central Division Semifinals and defeated the Fort Wayne Komets in six games to win the division title, despite dropping games two and three in that series.

PUNCHED OUR TICKET TO THE KELLY CUP FINAL pic.twitter.com/mfuwQp56Wf
— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) May 25, 2025

Next: The Kelly Cup Finals

The Everblades are looking to return to the Kelly Cup Finals for the fourth-straight year. They defeated the Walleye in the 2022 championship, winning the series in five games.

If TroisRivières wins the series, Toledo will host games one and two of the championship series next Saturday, May 31 and Monday, June 2.

If Florida wins the series, Toledo would hit the road for the first two games of the series on May 31 and June 1. The Walleye would host games 3, 4, and 5.

See the full postseason schedule and get information about buying playoff tickets by clicking here.

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