Road to the Kelly Cup: South Division Finals
Published on May 8, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release
ESTERO, Fla. - Two of the ECHL's premier postseason franchises are set to meet once again as the Florida Everblades and South Carolina Stingrays square off in the South Division Finals.
Game 1 is scheduled for Friday night at Hertz Arena with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. ET to open the best-of-seven series as the Everblades continue their quest for their fourth Kelly Cup in the last five years while the Stingrays have advanced to the second for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Reigniting the Rivalry
Few matchups in league history carry the postseason history of Florida and South Carolina, with the two organizations combining for seven Kelly Cup championships while splitting the previous eight playoff series four wins apiece.
The stakes have historically followed the rivalry. In seven of the previous eight postseason meetings between the clubs, the series winner has gone on to advance to the Kelly Cup Finals, further cementing the matchup as one of the defining playoff rivalries in league history.
The two sides last met during the opening round of the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs when Florida defeated South Carolina in six games on the way to its second consecutive Kelly Cup championship. The last postseason meeting between the clubs in the South Division Finals came during the 2017 Kelly Cup Playoffs when the Stingrays captured the series in five games.
Florida enters the series after finishing atop the Eastern Conference during the regular season with 108 points while setting an ECHL record allowing just 142 goals against. South Carolina arrives following another strong campaign of its own looking to return to the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time since 2021 as the longtime rivals prepare to add another chapter to one of the league's most storied playoff matchups.
How We Got Here
The Everblades made quick work of the Savannah Ghost Pirates in the South Division Semifinals, sweeping the series in four games
Florida outscored Savannah 14-4 during the series while allowing the fewest goals against of any team in the opening round
South Carolina needed six games to eliminate the Atlanta Gladiators in the opening round, with four of the six contests decided by one goal
The Stingrays were perfect on the road, winning all three games in Atlanta while outscoring the Gladiators 11-4 away from home to secure the series victory
2025-26 Season Series
Florida: 5-0-1-0
South Carolina: 1-5-0-0
GAME BY GAME RESULTS
November 19: Florida 3 South Carolina 1 (Hertz Arena) Game Sheet
November 21: Florida 4 South Carolina 2 (Hertz Arena) Game Sheet
January 24: South Carolina 2 Florida 1 (North Charleston Colisieum) Game Sheet
January 25: Florida 6 South Carolina 3 (North Charleston Colisieum) Game Sheet
April 10: Florida 4 South Carolina 1 (Hertz Arena) Game Sheet
April 11: Florida 5 South Carolina 0 (Hertz Arena) Game Sheet
Series At a Glance
Florida took five of the six meetings and earned points in all six meetings
The Everblades were a perfect 4-0-0-0 at Hertz Arena outscoring the Stingrays 16-4 on home ice
The Blades overall outscored South Carolina 23-8 in the matchup averaging 3.83 goals per game while limiting the Stingrays to 1.33 goals per game in the season series
Home Road Splits
Four of the six games during the regular season were played in Estero with Florida scoring four or more goals in three of the four games
In the four games at Hertz Arena the Blades limited South Carolina to one goal or fewer in three of the four games
South Carolina claimed the lone game that needed overtime posting a 2-1-win January in their lone victory in the season series
Key Note
Florida struck for the game's first goal in all six contests during the regular season and were tied for the league lead with 44 first goals
MATCHUP BREAKDOWN
Special Teams
Both teams recorded a pair of power play goals in their opening round series of the playoffs with Florida finishing 2/12 (16.7%) while South Carolina went 2/16 (12.5%)
Florida was a perfect 9/9 on the penalty kill against Savannah including a shorthanded goal while the Stingrays were the most penalized team in the first round successfully defending 21 of 23 penalty kills (91.3%)
Both clubs featured top four penalty kills throughout the regular season with the Blades second in the league operating at 87.8% and the Stingrays fourth at 85.4%
The Everblades went 3/16 (18.8%) on the man advantage and allowed just one power play goal to the Stingrays on 19 penalty kills (94.7%) in the regular season
South Carolina allowed the third most shorthanded goals against in the regular season surrendering 11
Inside Edge: Carson Gicewicz led Florida's special teams' offense in the first-round scoring both a power play and shorthanded goal while Charlie Combs scored both power play tallies for South Carolina
In the Crease
Cam Johnson shined between the pipes leading Florida to an opening round sweep over Savannah with a 4-0 record alongside a 1.00 goals-against average and his .963 save percentage was second-best
Garin Bjorklund started all six games for South Carolina against Atlanta posting 4-2 record with a 2.01 goals-against average and .930 save percentage
Johnson started four of the six meetings against the Stingrays in the regular season with a 3-0-1 record and .942 save percentage
Bjorklund made 8 appearances with South Carolina in the regular season with a 5-2 record along with a 2.05 goals-against average and .935 save percentage
Inside Edge: Florida holds a clear advantage in goal entering the series as Cam Johnson continued his dominant season with a stellar opening round against Savannah. South Carolina will turn to Garin Bjorklund, who was solid against Atlanta spending most the season in the AHL with Hershey.
Even Strength Play
Florida scored 195 of its 245 goals at even strength (2.71 per game), while South Carolina recorded 176 of its 223 goals at even strength (2.44 per game)
The Everblades had four different skater record four points or more in the opening round compared to South Carolina who had three different skaters tally six points or more
Florida's balanced attack features six skaters with 15 or more goals, 10 players in double figures, and five with at least 40 points
South Carolina had seven different skaters record 15 goals or more however just three skaters reached the 40-point mark
Inside Edge: Florida's depth at five-on-five could become a major factor in the series as the Everblades consistently generated offense throughout the lineup during the regular season and opening round. South Carolina's top-end scoring has been dangerous, but Florida's balanced attack gives the Blades the ability to roll all four lines and wear opponents down over a long series.
Game Flow
Florida dominated the final 40 minutes of play against Savannah outscoring the Ghost Pirates 12-3 during the final two frames
South Carolina struggled early in games outscored 5-3 in first periods however held the upper hand over the final 40 minutes outscoring Atlanta 16-7
The Stingrays combined 16 goals during second and third periods is tied with Allen for a league high
Florida's four goals allowed in the first round was tied for the fewest goals against with Kansas City
Inside Edge: Florida consistently controlled the flow of play against South Carolina during the regular season, outscoring the Stingrays 22-7 in its five victories while scoring at least three goals in every win. The lone one-goal game between the clubs came in a 2-1 South Carolina overtime victory at North Charleston Coliseum.
Behind the Bench
Brad Ralph enters the series as the ECHL's all-time leader in Kelly Cup Playoff victories with 109 postseason wins
Ralph has guided the Everblades to three Kelly Cup championships while leading Florida to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in five consecutive seasons
Florida has advanced beyond the opening round in eight of Ralph's nine postseason appearances behind the Everblades bench
David Warsofsky guided South Carolina to a second-place finish in the South Division during his first season as the Stingrays head coach
Warsofsky earned his first career playoff series victory last round after South Carolina defeated Atlanta in six games during the opening round
Inside Edge: With two veteran organizations familiar with the intensity of postseason hockey, in-series adjustments and matchup management could become one of the defining factors in the South Division Finals.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tarun Fizer, Florida - Led Florida with three goals in the season series against South Carolina and was productive in Florida's opening round matchup against Savannah second on the team with three goals.
Cam Johnson, Florida - A three-time Kelly Cup champion and two-time Playoffs MVP, the back-to-back ECHL Goaltender of the Year was in peak form to begin the postseason adding his 14th career postseason shutout and the second best save percentage at .963.
Carson Gicewicz, Florida- Led the Everblades with four goals and five points in the opening round against Savannah including both a power play and shorthanded goal and will need to be a key driver to the Blades offense once again
Charlie Combs, South Carolina - Led the ECHL with six goals in the Stingrays first round matchup against Atlanta while his eight points were a team best. Combs was also effective on the man advantage scoring both power play goals for South Carolina
X-Factor: Simon Pinard, South Carolina - Despite leading the Stingrays with 73 points during the regular season, Pinard was limited to just one point in the opening round against Atlanta. Pinard scored three goals against Florida during the regular season and could become a major swing piece if he is able to rediscover his offensive touch in the series.
BY THE NUMBERS
Florida is 14-0-1-1 dating back to the end of the regular season and have won each of their last six home games in regulation
Cam Johnson owns a career 61-21-0 playoff record with a 1.88 goals-against average and .929 save percentage
Florida did not have any games decided by one-goal in their opening round sweep while South Carolina finished 2-2 in one-goal decisions in their series over Atlanta
Jordan Sambrook led all Blades skaters with a +6 rating in the opening round after a record setting +62 rating in the regular season while South Carolina led all skaters with a +8 mark in the first round
The Everblades 3.50 goals per game in the first round were fifth most while South Carolina's 3.17 goals per game were sixth
Florida's 36.25 shots per game were an ECHL most in the opening round
The Blades were the only team that did not allow a shorthanded goal against while South Carolina surrendered a pair
ROUND 1 SCHEDULE
Game 1: South Carolina @ Florida Friday, May 8 7:30 p.m. (Hertz Arena)
Game 2: South Carolina @ Florida Saturday, May 9 7:00 p.m. (Hertz Arena)
Game 3: Florida @ South Carolina Wednesday, May 13 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)
Game 4: Florida @ South Carolina Friday, May 15 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)
*Game 5: Florida @ South Carolina Sunday, May 17 7:05 p.m. (North Charleston Coliseum)
*Game 6: South Carolina @ Florida Tuesday, May 19 7:30 p.m. (Hertz Arena)
*Game 7 South Carolina @ Florida Wednesday, May 20 7:30 p.m. (Hertz Arena)
ECHL Stories from May 8, 2026
- Everblades Reignite Rivalry with Stingrays in South Division Finals - Florida Everblades
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- Stingrays Blanked in Game 1 by Florida, 3-0 - South Carolina Stingrays
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