ESTERO, Fla. — The Walleye found themselves in a crucial game against Florida in the Kelly Cup Finals down 2-0, but dominated for a Game 3 win over the Everblades.
Brandon Hawkins and John Albert scored in the first period to make it a 2-0 game. Marcus Vela added a shorthanded goal in the second period and Hawkins would put the game away with an empty net goal in the third period.
Florida holds a 2-1 lead over Toledo, but the Walleye pick up the much-needed win before Friday's Game 4.
“It’s unbelievable, they’re resilient,” said Walleye head coach Dan Watson. “You could see it in Utah coming back from that 4-0 hole, being down 3-2 in that first series. We’ve learned a lot and the guys trust it. They’re confident still no matter what the series is. I just think that they pulled together and pulled for each other.”
“We knew that this game was important for us especially coming back in to their barn,” said defenseman Randy Gazzola. “I was really proud of the guys effort tonight, they all came together and realized the importance of this game so that we could get back in this series.”
Game 4 begins at 7:30 p.m. from Hertz Arena in Florida where Toledo will look to even the series.