INDIANAPOLIS– The Fuel headed to Cincinnati tonight to finish their two-game set against the Cyclones in hopes to claim two points before the weekend is over. Despite the even first period, the Fuel could not come away with the win and fell to the Cyclones 6-2 to finish their week.
1ST PERIOD
Quickly after puck drop, the penalties started flowing. First, the Fuel earned a power play with a cross-checking call on Nick Favaro at 2:50. Exactly one minute later, Indy’s Santino Centorame sat for hooking.
At 5:28, Chris Cameron joined him in the box for boarding which led to a goal by Roman Ahcan on the power play to make it 1-0 in favor of Cincinnati.
At 12:06, Fuel captain Seamus Malone and Cincy’s Luka Burzan both took a slashing penalty forcing two minutes of 4-on-4. Just as time expired on those penalties, the Fuel got on the board with a goal by Zach Jordan to tie the game. Ross MacDougall and Cam Hillis claimed assists on that goal.
At 18:44, Matej Pekar sat for hooking, giving the Fuel a power play opportunity that would last into the second period.
2ND PERIOD
With 44 seconds left on the power play, the Fuel took control early in the period but Cincinnati killed off the rest of the penalty before heading to the power play themselves after a tripping penalty called on Sam Ruffin.
Twenty seconds into the penalty, Luka Burzan scored on the power play to make it 2-1 Cincinnati.
After some scrums started to break out, heightening the hostility between these two teams, it was Cam Hillis who took the game’s next penalty for tripping at 10:12 of the second frame.
The Cyclones capitalized on the power play and Roman Achan got his second goal of the game to make it 3-1.
Less than a minute later, Sahil Panwar scored to make it 4-1 just after the halfway point in the game.
At 12:26, Kirill Chaika and Cincy’s Jake Gaudet each took two minutes for roughing after multiple fights broke out near Indy’s net. This resulted in Burzan’s second goal of the game to make it 5-1 in favor of the Cyclones.
Favaro took an interference call at 14:32 giving the Fuel another power play opportunity however less than two minutes later, Kyle Maksimovich took a tripping penalty to force another 4-on-4 situation.
Cristiano DiGiacinto then took a slashing penalty at 16:28 which would leave the Fuel with forty seconds on the power play after all the other penalties expired.
During the 4-on-4 period, Lee Lapid scored for Cincy making it 6-1 before the Fuel pulled Zach Driscoll from goal in favor of Mitchell Weeks.
At 17:48, things came to a head between the two teams as a fight broke out on each end of the ice. Matus Spodniak and Zack Andrusiak each earned five minutes for fighting while Jake Gaudet took an additional holding call, leaving the Fuel to the power play once again.
3RD PERIOD
The first six minutes of the third period were the calmest of the game as no one scored or took a penalty. At 6:17, Cam Hillis scored his first goal of the season to make it 6-2. Kyle Maksimovich and Zach Jordan claimed assists on that goal.
At 7:25, Cincinnati’s captain Justin Vaive and Indy’s penalty minute leader Chris Cameron dropped the gloves that earned them both five minutes for fighting before Sam Ruffin added on another slashing penalty two minutes later.
Jake Gaudet took another penalty at 11:41 for interference, giving Indy another power play after the halfway point of the final frame but they could not score.
At 19:04, Jalen Smereck took a holding penalty that would force Cincinnati to finish the third period on the penalty kill. Almost immediately it appeared that Ross MacDougall had scored but the goal was called off for interference and time expired on the game forty seconds after that.
Ultimately, the Fuel fell 6-2 to the Cyclones to end their weekend against Cincinnati.
The Indy Fuel are back in action at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on November 17, 2023 for Survivor Night against the Wheeling Nailers.
Originally posted on indyfuelhockey.com