FUEL FALL TO WALLEYE IN FIRST PLAYOFF MEETING

TOLEDO - The Fuel began their playoff journey tonight in Toledo, Ohio facing off with their division rival, the Walleye. While the score remained tied 1-1 through two periods, Indy ultimately fell to Toledo 4-1 with all five goals in the game coming on the power play. 

1ST PERIOD

Toledo got to work early with five shots to start the game before the Fuel’s first penalty, a high sticking call on Chase Lang at 7:11. 

Despite a lot of big saves from goaltender Mitchell Weeks, the Walleye capitalized on the power play with a goal by Seth Barton. 

Quickly, the Fuel went back to the penalty kill as Alex Wideman took a holding penalty. The Fuel killed off that penalty but allowed four more shots before registering one of their own.

With 5:46 left in the first frame, the Fuel earned their first power play with a penalty on Donovan Sebrango. Indy’s Colin Bilek scored the first goal for the Fuel to tie the game at one each on the power play with a long range shot assisted by Zach Vinnell and Wideman.

Soon after, Vinnell took a hooking penalty at 16:05 but the Fuel were able to kill it off. At the end of the first frame, Toledo was outshooting Indy 12-5 but the score was tied with one power play goal each.

2ND PERIOD

Just 1:42 into the second period, Colin Bilek and Charlie Curti took a roughing minor a piece after some extracurricular activity at center ice. Soon after, Toledo’s Gordi Myer took a tripping call that they were also able to kill off. 

Indy was certainly able to put more pressure on the Walleye to begin the second frame than they were in the first, but Sebastian Cossa stood strong in Toledo’s net. 

With a lot of back-and-forth chances on both sides, time ticked down quickly and the second period ended just as the first did with a score of 1-1.

3RD PERIOD

The first five minutes of the third went by quickly without many whistles. At 5:14, Bilek took his second penalty of the game and just like the first, it resulted in a power play goal for the Walleye to put them up 2-1. It came from Gordie Green with the help of Trenton Bliss and Kirill Tyutyayev.

At 7:42, the unpleasantries between both teams came to a boiling point with a brawl next to the Toledo net that resulted in two minute roughing minors for Indy’s Maxim Golod and Toledo’s Sebrango and Riley McCourt as well as a four minute roughing minor for Indy’s Chase Lang. 

At 9:08, Toledo’s Brandon Hawkins capitalized on that power play and scored to make it 3-1 Walleye. Tyutyayev took an interference penalty a few minutes later giving the Fuel a big opportunity on the power play but the Walleye were able to kill it off. 

At 15:08, the Fuel went back on the power play after a delay of game call on TJ Hensick. Indy came close to scoring but ultimately, the Walleye killed off that penalty. 

Weeks made a series of big saves with under two minutes to go but due to some extracurriculars in front of the net, Indy’s Seamus Malone took a cross-checking penalty forcing the Fuel to finish regulation on the penalty kill.

17 seconds later, Trenton Bliss netted the Walleye’s fourth goal and fourth power play goal of the game to make it 4-1. After the goal there were four more penalties handed out, including a ten minute misconduct on Andrew Bellant and a double major on Lang for roughing that sent him to the locker room. 

The chippiness continued but time expired on the period and the Walleye took the win in the first game of the series 4-1.

The Indy Fuel are back in action at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Tuesday, April 25 for the third division semifinal matchup with the Walleye. It’s also a Do317 Night! Tickets are available HERE.

The Indy Fuel, proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs take on the Toledo Walleye for the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs and return home for Game 3 of the series on Tuesday, April 25 which will feature their Do317 promotion ($3 beverages, $1 hot dogs and $7 specialty t-shirts) and an appearance from Chicago Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk. Get your tickets HERE.

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