We’ve reached the division final stage of the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs. After a hard-fought first round, the last two teams standing in each of the four divisions are due to square off with a trip to the Eastern and Western Conference Finals on the line.

ECHL writer Mike Ashmore previews each series in the Western Conference for the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

2023 ECHL Kelly Cup Central Division Final

#1 Cincinnati Cyclones vs. #2 Toledo Walleye

Game 1 - Friday, May 5 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Cincinnati
Game 2 - Saturday, May 6 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Cincinnati
Game 3 - Wednesday, May 10 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo
Game 4 - Friday, May 12 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo
Game 5 - Saturday, May 13 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, May 16 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Cincinnati (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 17 at 7:35 p.m. ET at Cincinnati (If Necessary)

Quick Look: The highly anticipated matchup between the Cyclones and Walleye in the Central Division Final has materialized, but only barely. While Toledo blew through their first-round series with ease as the only team to sweep their opponent, Cincinnati got taken all the way to Game 7 by a scrappy Fort Wayne team, and won in somewhat controversial fashion after a late game-tying goal for the Komets was ultimately disallowed due to goalie interference.

?WHAT A GAME, WHAT A SERIES.?The @CincyCyclones are moving on after a thrilling 1-0 victory over @FWKomets in Game 7. Justin Vaive, Cincinnati's 33-year-old captain, scored the lone goal of the game to send the Cyclones through to Round 2. #KellyCup pic.twitter.com/LzEKGUHVTz

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) May 4, 2023

Cincinnati and Toledo were the second and third best teams in the league by points, respectively, this season, and seemingly match up earlier than they should have given the league’s divisional format. The Cyclones and Walleye squared off 11 times during the regular season, with Jason Payne’s Cincinnati club holding only a slim 6-5 advantage.

As for Dan Watson’s Toledo group, they’re still on a “Revenge Tour” as dubbed by veteran forward Brandon Hawkins after falling just short in the Kelly Cup Final last year to the Florida Everblades, and have no intentions of ending their season now. The team is led by a group of six returning players who are motivated to win the title they felt was in their grasp in 2022.

“The mindset is right, and the mindset is there,” Watson told FloHockey. “Guys are dialed in every day.  It takes everybody on that one day prepared and ready to go, and those guys are stepping up to make sure that it’s happening.”

Player To Watch, Cincinnati: Beck Warm – With only 12 goals worth of “run support” throughout an entire seven-game series, the Cyclones needed Warm to be every bit as good as he was to get past the Komets.  With Mark Sinclair somewhat surprisingly relegated to mop-up duty in Game 6 after being pulled after just one period in the series opener, Warm stepped up to deliver a .950 save percentage that was third-best among qualifying netminders in the opening round.

Player To Watch, Toledo: Trenton Bliss – With much of the focus on that returning veteran, it was first-year ECHLer Bliss who led the charge in Toledo’s first-round sweep, tying Hawkins for the team lead with three goals and setting the pace with seven points. A double-digit goal scorer in each of his last three years at Michigan Tech, Bliss scored just one in 30 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins before finding his stride in Toledo, which has seemingly carried over to the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

we have some not so happy campers after this one pic.twitter.com/EWMbSExVU8

— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) April 22, 2023

2023 ECHL Kelly Cup Mountain Division Final

#1 Idaho Steelheads vs. #2 Allen Americans

Game 1 - Friday, May 5 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Allen
Game 2 - Saturday, May 6 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Allen
Game 3 - Wednesday, May 10 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 4 - Friday, May 12 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 5 - Saturday, May 13 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 15 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 17 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Allen (If Necessary)

Quick Look: For a team that blew through everybody in their path during a Brabham Cup-winning, record-setting regular season, the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs was perhaps a much-needed reset for the Idaho Steelheads, who needed four straight wins in overtime to ultimately erase a 2-0 deficit and get past a scrappy Utah Grizzlies team.

“We have a very tight-knit group, and I think it was a wake-up call for a few guys in terms of what playoff hockey actually takes and entails,” Steelheads head coach Everett Sheen told FloHockey during his team’s first round series.  

“But, instead of hitting the panic button, we actually hit the fun button. I thought our guys wanted it so bad that they were a little uptight in those first two games, so we just went back to having some fun in practice on one of the days (between games) and got our minds right.”

?CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!??

For the fourth consecutive game, the Idaho @Steelheads won in overtime, overcoming a 2-0 series deficit to clinch the Mountain Division semifinal against the Utah Grizzlies. Jack Becker was the hero in Game 6. #KellyCup pic.twitter.com/bm8F9gWdiX

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) May 2, 2023

As for Allen, they used home-ice advantage in a somewhat unique 3-4 setup as the two seed to capture two of those final three contests at home and get past the Kansas City Mavericks in six games and advance to the second round of the postseason for the first time since 2021.

Player To Watch, Idaho: Owen Headrick – The back end has been key to Idaho’s success all season long, and it was no different in the first round, with Headrick pacing the Steelheads with six points, all on assists.  With veteran stalwart Matt Register limited to just two games in the series, the 25-year-old Headrick, who was nearly a point-per-game player in the regular season, accomplished the feat when it mattered the most.

The @AllenAmericans are starting the 2023 #KellyCup off in true playoff fashion with a first period buzzer beater goal from Jack Combs? pic.twitter.com/kTyH3i38o4

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) April 20, 2023

Player To Watch, Allen: Jack Combs – Although he hasn’t been producing at his familiar astronomical numbers in the playoffs just yet, Combs delivered at a critical moment, scoring at the 4:23 mark of overtime in Game 3 against Kansas City to help the Americans get out to a 2-1 series lead. The veteran forward recorded just three points against the Mavs, and was second behind only teammate Hank Crone with 95 points during the regular season.