Toledo Walleye, Trois-Rivières Lions Clash in 2025 Kelly Cup Finals

Toledo, Ohio – The 2025 Kelly Cup Finals begin Saturday as the Toledo Walleye face the Trois-Rivières Lions in Game 1 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Huntington Center. This series will crown the national ‘AA’ hockey champion of the ECHL, which celebrates its 37th season in 2024-25.

The ECHL, the third-longest tenured professional hockey league, is crucial to the development of players for the NHL and AHL. The Kelly Cup is named after the league’s co-founder, who also served as Commissioner for the ECHL’s first eight seasons.

The Finals schedule includes Game 2 on Monday at 7:15 p.m. ET in Toledo. The series will then move to Trois-Rivières, Quebec, for Game 3 on June 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET and Game 4 on June 6 at 7:00 p.m. ET. If necessary, the series will see Game 5 on June 7, followed by potential Game 6 and Game 7 on June 10 and June 12 respectively in Toledo.

Toledo reached the Finals by winning the Central Division title with a record of 44-17-11. They swept Indy in the semifinals and defeated Fort Wayne and Kansas City in the subsequent rounds. Meanwhile, Trois-Rivières won the North Division title with a 45-19-8 record. The Lions swept Reading and eliminated Norfolk before defeating defending champion Florida in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This will be Toledo’s third appearance in the Finals in five years. They previously lost to Newfoundland in 2019 and Florida in 2022. Conversely, it marks Trois-Rivières’ first trip to the Finals since joining the ECHL in 2021.

Both teams have shown strong road performance during the playoffs, with Toledo and Trois-Rivières achieving 6-1 and 7-1 records away from home, respectively. This success is relevant for their strategy in the Finals.

In terms of individual player performances in the playoffs, Brandon Hawkins leads Toledo with 22 points, while Alex Beaucage and Anthony Beauregard share the scoring lead for Trois-Rivières with 14 points each.

Both teams have also excelled in overtime, a hallmark of this year’s playoffs. As of now, Toledo is 2-0 in overtime games, while Trois-Rivières holds a 1-0 record.

FloHockey will stream every game of the Finals for the 21st consecutive year, ensuring fans can follow the action closely.

This year’s matchup will add to the already rich history of the Kelly Cup, with players and coaches looking to capture their first titles in the thrilling league showcase.