INDIANAPOLIS - In the first of three games during the week, the Indy Fuel hosted the Toledo Walleye on Wednesday night. After giving up four straight goals to the Walleye, the Fuel would score three of their own. It wouldn't be enough as the Fuel eventually fell 6-3 on Wednesday.
After giving up the majority of the shots to start the period, the Walleye would be the first team to get on the board. Streaking down the side of the ice, Mitchell Heard threw the puck at the Fuel net and it deflected off a Fuel defenseman and past Mitch Gillam. The Walleye would take a 2-0 lead when Cole Fraser fired a puck on net and Ian Parker buried the rebound past Gillam.
The Fuel would outshoot the Walleye 6-4 throughout the first 10 minutes of the second period but goaltender Kaden Fulcher would hold them at bay. Indy would have a four-minute power play and register a number of chances but Fulcher held them off.
Randy Gazzola would triple the Walleye lead when he got loose at the top of the faceoff circle and ripped a wrist shot past Michael Lackey. Putting the Walleye up 4-0 with 1:23 left in the period, Brandon Schultz got behind the Fuel defense and beat Lackey over the shoulder on a breakaway. Scoring their first goal of the game while on the man advantage, Mike Lee fed a streaking Jared Thomas and he buried the one-timer behind Fulcher.
After Ian Parker and Riley McKay dropped the gloves to start the period, the Walleye would get a four-minute power play of their own. Although earning multiple chances, Michael Lackey and the Fuel penalty kill would hold them off. Taking advantage of a Toledo penalty, Jared Thomas scored his second goal of the game when he fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Fulcher, cutting the Walleye lead to 4-2.
Toledo would take back their three-goal lead when Brandon Schultz tapped home a cross-ice pass from Brady Tomlak. Cutting Toledo’s lead to two goals, Darien Craighead put home a pass from Karl El-Mir, making the score 5-3. Randy Gazzola would put home the empty-net goal from his own zone, handing the Fuel a 6-3 loss on Wednesday night.
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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