The Florida Everblades came into Saturday Night with a chance to clinch a spot in the Kelly Cup Finals with a win, and the Adirondack Thunder were just looking to send this series back to Glens Falls for a Game 6 on Tuesday Night. One of the big factors of the series is that both of these teams have not lost when they’ve scored first, as Florida was 10-0 and Adirondack 7-0 when getting on the board first, and in the first two games in Florida, the opening frame as been an issue for the Thunder. Filip Engaras would get the Thunder going as he would pick up a rebound and put it top shelf at the 8:39 mark. Florida would try to respond as they were held shotless in the first five minutes but would have some high-quality chances as Jeremy Brodeur would come up big for the Thunder as they attempted to keep the Everblades at bay. Erik Middendorf would beat Cam Johnson shoulder-side at the 15:33 mark of the period as Adirondack would finish the period with 13 shots on goal, which is more than they had in the first period in the first two games combined, and had a 2-0 lead.
“He’s got the perfect kind of personality for that kind of situation, he’s a chill guy, things roll of his shoulder, I’m excited for him to get that oppurtunity and I knew he would kick well and he did”
Adirondack Thunder Head Coach Pete MacArthur on the play of Jeremy Brodeur on Saturday Night
In the second, the defending Kelly Cup Champions would find life and be all over the Thunder as they outshot and outplayed them all period and finally got rewarded for it at 16:31 when Riese Zmolek took a shot from the circle that just beat Brodeur and gave the Everblades some life, that was Zmolek’s first career Kelly Cup Playoff goal. Darion Skeoch would take a cross-checking penalty at 17:20, and it would cost the Thunder as Cole Moberg took a shot from the blueline that would find the back of the net, and with two goals in 2:01, the Everblades had tied the game up at two and had all the momentum heading into the third period, as a chance to bring the series back home was slowly fading away.
“That’s absoutley huge, Section N is gonna have to step up big for us and provide a little bit of energy”
Adirondack Thunder Zach Walker on being able to bring the series back to Adirondack
With their season on the line, Adirondack would retake the lead just over five minutes into the third as Darian Skeoch would make up for the earlier penalty as he fed Ryan Smith in front as Smith netted his ninth goal of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. It wouldn’t be an easy road to the finish line for Adirondack as Tristan Ashbrook would take a penalty at the 8:10 mark of the period that the Thunder would kill off then Ryan Wheeler took a delay of game penalty with 1:10 remaining as Florida would pull Johnson for the extra attacker, but Ashbrook won a faceoff and would quickly fire it into the empty net securing the 4-2 victory and sending this series back to Glens Falls for a game six on Tuesday night. The win for Adirondack now marks their longest Kelly Cup Run in franchise history
