Fuel close out home-and-home set in Fort Wayne

GAME PREVIEW: FUEL AT KOMETS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 - 7:30 P.M.

ALLEN COUNTY WAR MEMORIAL COLISEUM, FORT WAYNE, IND.

BROADCAST INFO: 1070THEFAN.COM, ECHL.TV

The Story: Seeing their winning streak come to an end Friday night, the Indy Fuel (12-16-2-1) look to bounce back Saturday in a rematch with the Fort Wayne Komets (21-9-2-0) at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Puck drop from Fort Wayne is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and can be caught live on 1070TheFan.com/IndyFuel or on ECHL.TV.

Entering the weekend with three straight victories, the Fuel surrendered three goals in the first period Friday night, as the Komets seized an eventual 6-4 victory at Indiana Farmers Coliseum to open a home-and-home doubleheader. Defensemen Ryan Lowney tallied a goal and two assists for Fort Wayne, who leapfrogged the Toledo Walleye into first place in the Central Division with the victory. Fuel forward Josh Shalla - in his first game back with the club after being signed on Thursday - marked a pair of goals in the loss.

Back On The Road: Saturday marks the first of three consecutive games away from home for Indy, all part of the most road-heavy portion of the club's 2017-18 schedule. The Fuel will play 15 of their next 19 games in enemy territory from tonight to Feb. 18. Overall, Indy holds a 3-8-2-1 record away from Indiana Farmers Coliseum, with two of the victories coming last week in Kalamazoo and Wheeling.

The Return of the Komet Killer: After making the long Trans-Atlantic trek from Nottingham back to Indianapolis, forward Josh Shalla picked up right where he left off in 2016-17 - lighting up the Fort Wayne Komets. Shalla scored twice in his Fuel season debut, giving him goals in nine straight games in the Hoosier State rivalry. Since his trade to Indy last season, the native of Oshawa, Ontario has put up 13 goals and four assists in nine games against Fort Wayne.

Inside the Matchup: The Fuel are aiming to end a six-game losing streak to the Komets on Saturday, one that spans to the end of the 2016-17 season. Fort Wayne has won the first four meetings this season, including three at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

In Allen County, Indy is hunting for its first victory since December of 2015 - entering Saturday on a seven game winless skid at the Memorial Coliseum (0-5-2-0).

Scouting Report: With an assist Friday, Fuel forward Johnny McInnis (7g, 6a) extended a point streak to four games, giving him points in six of his last eight contests (3g, 4a) ... Komets forward Gabriel Desjardins (13g, 16a) marked three assists Friday, giving him points in five consecutive contests (2g, 8a) ...

ECHL MEDIA KIT