INDIANAPOLIS– The Indy Fuel hosted the Cincinnati Cyclones for the first time this season after dropping two preseason matches to them in October. In the first overtime game of the season for Indy, they ultimately fell to the Cyclones 7-6.
1ST PERIOD
The first period got off to a quick start with a goal by Cristiano DiGiacinto to put Cincinnati up 1-0 early. At 7:15, the Fuel answered back with Chase Lang’s first goal of the season assisted by Seamus Malone who normally finds success against the Cyclones.
At 7:50 of the first period, Luc Brown and Cincy’s Jake Gaudet were tangled up on the boards after a hit and came away with a boarding penalty and roughing penalty respectively.
Both of those penalties were killed off and the next time Brown got on the score sheet was at 13:16 when he scored a power play goal after a hooking call on DiGiacinto.
2ND PERIOD
Just 51 seconds into the second frame, Indy’s Luke McInnis took a tripping penalty which the Fuel killed off. Next it was Cincinnati’s captain, Justin Vaive who sat for tripping at 4:27.
At 7:02, Chase Lang was called for high sticking which led to a Cincinnati goal by Jalen Smereck, the one on the receiving end of the high stick, to make it 2-2. Eight minutes later, Jake Gaudet gave Cincinnati their second lead of the game with a goal.
The period ended with Cincinnati up 3-2 and outshooting Indy 23-18.
3RD PERIOD
Under two minutes into the period, DJ King took a delay of game penalty giving the Cyclones another power play opportunity. While the Fuel killed off the penalty, Sahil Panwar made it 4-2 for the Cyclones soon after.
Andrew Bellant scored with the help of Jon Martin and Santino Centorame to make it 4-3 at 9:02 of the third.
At 11:43, James Hardie was called for tripping, giving the Fuel a power play opportunity but it was the Cyclones who scored a shorthanded goal by Matej Pekar to give them a two-goal lead again.
Pekar then took a roughing penalty along with Smereck and Indy’s Chase Lang, giving the Fuel another power play opportunity that Cincy was able to score shorthanded on again, this time from Roman Ahcan.
Exactly thirty seconds later, Kyle Maksimovich gave Indy some life with a power play goal assisted by Ryan Gagnier and Zach Jordan. The Fuel scored two more unanswered goals, by Andrew Bellant and Luc Brown, each earning their second of the game to tie it up at 6-6 and force overtime.
OVERTIME
1:49 into the five-minute overtime period, Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm scored to claim the 7-6 win for 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