Fuel hit the road to take on Toledo

GAME PREVIEW: FUEL AT WALLEYE

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 - 7:35 P.M.

HUNTINGTON CENTER, TOLEDO, OHIO

BROADCAST INFO: 1070THEFAN.COM, ECHL.TV

The Story: The Indy Fuel (5-9-2-1) hit the road for the first time in nearly three weeks Saturday as they visit the Central Division-leading Toledo Walleye (13-4-2-1) at Huntington Center. The 7:15 puck drop from Ohio can be caught live on 1070TheFan.com or online through ECHL.TV.

The Fuel closed out a six-game homestand on a positive note Friday, handing the Quad City Mallards a 3-1 defeat at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Trailing 1-0 at the start of the second period, Indy ignited with three unanswered goals, outshooting Quad City by a 29-14 margin over the final 40 minutes of play.

Ryan Rupert and Brandon Anselmini each logged a goal and an assist, Johnny McInnis tacked on an empty netter and goaltender Étienne Marcoux carded a stellar 29-save performace to give the Fuel a 3-3 record for the extended stay on home ice.

Playing away from Central Indiana for the first time since Nov. 12, the Fuel will look to hand Toledo their first home loss Saturday night. The Walleye have built a comfortable lead atop the Central Division, picking up points in 13 of their last 15 games dating back to Oct. 28 (11-2-1-1). Toledo returns to Huntington Center after dropping a 3-2 shootout decision in Fort Wayne Friday night.

Ruper-De-Duper: Since returning from his four-game suspension, forward Ryan Rupert has made a big impact on the Fuel offense. Rupert has tallied two goals and one assist in his last two games; one goal coming shorthanded while the other coming on the power play. The native of Grand Bend, Ontario ranks fourth on the Fuel roster with nine points in 13 games played.

Goalie Shuffle: When the Chicago Blackhawks placed goaltender Corey Crawford on IR Friday afternoon, it sent a ripple effect through the entire organization. The Blackhawks recalled J.F. Berube from the Rockford IceHogs, while reassigning Collin Delia from the Fuel to the IceHogs. In turn, the Fuel activated netminder Matt Tomkins from injured reserve, adding the rookie back to the active roster. Tomkins had been injured since leaving a game in Florida on Oct. 25 in the second period.

Inside the Matchup: After dropping a pair of contests at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in November, the Fuel look for their first win of the season against the Walleye on the road. Saturday is the first of three meetings between the two teams at Huntington Center, and the third of a nine-game season series. Indy's last trip to Toledo came on the final day of the 2016-17 regular season, resulting in a lopsided 10-0 Walleye victory.

The trio of Mike Borkowski (1g, 2a), Austen Brassard (1g, 2a) and Shane Berschbach (3a) all share the series scoring lead for Toledo, while Ryan (1g, 1a) and Matt (2a) Rupert have been Indy's top point-getters through two games against the Walleye.

Scouting Report: Forward Erik Bradford (3g, 12a) enters Saturday on a four game point streak (2g, 4a), sharing the team lead with 12 assists ... Forward Tyler Barnes (4g, 12a) has found the scoresheet in six of his last seven games, tallying one goal and nine assists across that span.

ECHL MEDIA KIT