WHEELING - In the final match between the Wheeling Nailers and the Indy Fuel the Nailers would see five goals from five different players to help lift them to victory in the final regular season game of the year.
The Nailers got on the board first when right out of the penalty box Sean Josling fired a shot from the left circle that beat Sean Romeo at 8:40. Ten minutes later the Fuel would find themselves on the power play where Alex Rauter was able to recover a puck that was poked free by Nic Pierog and bury the puck to send the two teams to the locker rooms tied at one after the first frame.
Nearly halfway through the second period the Nailers capitalized on a power play chance when Tim Doherty recovered a loose puck and roofed a shot from the slot to take the lead for Wheeling. Three minutes later the Nailers were on the man advantage once again when Alfaro hit Cody Sylvester with a back diagonal pass in between the two circles and Sylvester was able to go top right corner on Romeo to make the score 3-1 at the end of the second.
Tommy Apap brought the Fuel within one when he caught a pass from Antoine Waked on the forehand and spun it to the backhand to go topshelf on Louis-Philip Guindon at 12:38. Forcing a turnover in the Fuel’s zone Doherty found Brendan Harris at the right circle who netted the Nailers fourth goal of the night. With under four minutes left to go the Fuel pulled Romeo for the extra attacker but Patrick Watling was able to score on the empty net to bring the final score to 5-2 for the final regular season game of the year.
The Fuel have clinched a spot in the 2021 Kelly Cup Playoffs! Single game tickets are now available for the first home game on June 8. Fuel season memberships are also available for the 2021-22 season, purchase your package by June 14th to receive complimentary parking for the entire 2021-22 regular season. Find details and pricing at IndyFuelHockey.com.
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