The Florida Everblades are Kelly Cup Champions again.

Finally.

After a decade of waiting, the ECHL’s biggest prize is back in Estero after a 4-2 win over the Toledo Walleye in Game 5 of the Finals on Saturday night, handily winning the best-of-seven series against the Brabham Cup champions as the league’s best regular season team.

It marks the first title for a core group that’s come close the last few years, without getting over the hump. It's only the second championship for an organization that’s been in contention for it in nearly every season of their existence. 'Blades head coach Brad Ralph, already the league’s winningest head coach in postseason victories with 63, won his first Kelly Cup as well, cementing a league legacy that will almost surely take him to its Hall of Fame one day. 

Desperate to send the series back to Ohio, Toledo got on the board first on Saturday when Matt Berry scored just 4:07 into regulation to give the Walleye a 1-0 lead. It’s the only one they’d hold, however, and it didn’t last long.

Naples native Zach Solow, who grew up a fan of the 2012 championship team, made a big contribution to bring the trophy back. The former Northeastern standout scored his first of two goals on the night a little more than four minutes after Toledo's goal, blowing a one-timer past Walleye goaltender Billy Christopoulos to make it a 1-1 game. 

Matteo Gennaro and Levko Koper then scored in stunning fashion, lighting the lamp just seven seconds apart to set a new league record for the quickest two goals scored in both postseason and Kelly Cup Finals history.

Former NHL’er John Albert cut the Walleye’s deficit to within one late in the first period, but Solow struck again on a backhander from the inside of the right circle with just 1:09 left in the opening frame to put Florida up 4-2.

From there, Florida netminder Cam Johnson shut Toledo down, finishing with 35 saves on 38 shots for his 15th win of the postseason en route to winning the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award, finishing the playoffs with a 1.90 goals against average and .931 save percentage.