INDIANAPOLIS - Playing the first game of the calendar year, the Fuel hosted the Iowa Heartlanders at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. After a scoreless first period, Indy saw four goals from CJ Eick, Spencer Watson and Seamus Malone (two) as they won 4-1 on Sunday afternoon.
As both teams traded chances throughout the first 10 minutes of the period, nobody would be able to get on the board. Indy would have a chance on the power play but Iowa goaltender Corbin Kaczperski would hold them at bay. Although Indy outshot the Heartlanders 10-7 in the first, both teams went into the locker room scoreless.
Scoring the first goal of the game, Eick received a pass from Jan Mandat and fired it over the shoulder of Kaczperski to give Indy a 1-0 lead. Indy would double their lead when Watson jumped on a loose rebound in front of Kaczperski and buried it in the back of the net. The Fuel outshot the Heartlanders 15-4 in the second period, sending them to the locker room leading 2-0.
The Heartlanders would be the first team to get on the board in the third period when Jake Smith jumped on a rebound and drove the puck past a sprawling Mitch Gillam. Malone would put the Fuel up 3-1 after beating an Iowa defenseman down the sideboards and fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Kaczperski. Malone would net his second goal of the game when he put in the empty-net goal and gave the Fuel a 4-1 lead and the eventual win.
Various ticket options are now on sale for the Fuel’s 8th 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 and Instagram (IndyFuel) for news, updates, contests and much more throughout the 2021-22 season.
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