Quentin Shore's overtime goal lifts Indy to weekend sweep

INDIANAPOLIS - Forward Quentin Shore struck with 12.6 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Indy Fuel (3-1-0-0) a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Toledo Walleye (1-1-1-0) Saturday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The come-from-behind triumph was the third straight win for the Fuel, who finish their season-opening homestand in first place in the Central Division standings.

After Brett Welychka found the net with just 27 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, Indy completed the stunning comeback in the waning moments of the extra frame. Defenseman Neil Manning carried the puck into Toledo end before dropping a pass to a Shore, who drove to the net and fired a quick shot over the glove of Walleye netminder Pat Nagle. With the win, the Fuel snapped a 12 game home losing streak to the Walleye dating back to the first game of the 2015-16 season.

Before Shore could deliver the walk-off winner, the Fuel needed to pull off some last-minute heroics. With the game tied 2-2 late in the third period, Toledo's Shane Berschbach scored on a power play to give the visitors the lead with 59 seconds remaining. However, a hooking minor to the Walleye's Greg Wolfe with 37 seconds to play opened the door for Welychka's equalizer. Four seconds after the man advantage began, the rookie forward swatted a Ryan Rupert rebound behind Nagle to even the game at 3-3.

The dramatic finish capped off another stellar performance from Indy goaltender Matt Tomkins, who turned aside 33 of 36 Walleye shots to record his third straight victory. The netminder was at his best in overtime, making two massive saves to keep the game alive - including a breakaway stop on Toledo forward Dylan Sadowy in the first minute of 3-on-3 play. Nagle suffered his first loss of the season, stopping 28 of 32 Indy shots.

In a rematch of the 2018 Central Division Semifinals, Indy took an early lead as the Rupert twins connected just 3:13 into the game. Ryan Rupert forced a turnover in the slot and slid a pass to Matt Rupert, who had a wide open net for his second goal of the campaign.

The Fuel doubled their lead 5:07 into the second period, when a mid-range shot from rookie forward Connor Moynihan found its way through traffic and behind Nagle. Berschbach brought Toledo back to within one at 9:22 of the middle frame, tossing a loose puck on net to pick up his first of two markers on the night.

Defenseman Brendan Kotyk knotted the contest at two just over four minutes into the final period, beating Tomkins to the far side from the left half-wall.

Both teams finished 1-for-4 on the power play, with both goals coming during the wild final minute of regulation.

Next up for Indy is the club's first road test of the season, coming next Saturday against the Kansas City Mavericks. Puck drop from Independence, Mo. is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET. The Fuel will then return to Indiana Farmers Coliseum for a Tuesday-Thursday doubleheader, beginning on Oct. 30 against the Idaho Steelheads.

Single-game tickets are now on sale for the Fuel's 5th anniversary season at Indiana Farmers Coliseum! Lock up your seat for every second of the action at Indiana Farmers Coliseum with a Fuel Ticket Plan - grab yours by heading to IndyFuelHockey.com or by calling the Fuel front office at 317-925-FUEL. Don't forget to follow the Fuel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (IndyFuel) for news, updates, contests and much more throughout the 2018-19 season.

-- INDYFUELHOCKEY.COM --