WHEELING- The Fuel finished their weekend in Wheeling on Saturday night where they fell 5-2. After giving up three goals in the first period, they scored two in the second but could not make a comeback. 

1ST PERIOD

Unlike last night, it was Wheeling who got to work quickly with a goal just over five minutes into the game. Kyle Jackson scored to make it 1-0. Matty De St. Phalle and Jack Beck each claimed an assist on that goal.

Six minutes later, David Jankowski scored to extend Wheeling’s lead to 2-0. Jackson and De St. Phalle each got their second point of the game with assists on that goal. 

Things got heated between these two teams with a long history of being rivals when Wheeling played in the Central division but no penalties were handed out despite pushes and shoves being exchanged. 

At 14:35, De St. Phalle took a slashing penalty, giving the Fuel the first power play of the game. The Nailers killed off the penalty, and soon after Atley Calvert scored to give Wheeling a 3-0 lead. De St. Phalle collected his third point of the game with an assist there, along with Jankowski claiming the other assist.

Despite Indy outshooting the Nailers 12-11, the Nailers were up 3-0 at the end of the first period.

2ND PERIOD

Just 2:38 into the second period, Matus Spodniak netted his first goal of the season from an odd angle. Gagnier and Lombardi claimed assists on that goal to make it 3-1. 

Eleven seconds later, Wheeling headed to the power play as Colin Bilek sat for an illegal check to the head. Forty seconds after that, Matthew Quercia took a roughing minor that forced over a minute of 4-on-4 play. 

Both of these penalties were killed off before Bilek scored at 8:53 to make it 3-2. Kyle Maksimovich and Jalen Luypen had the assists on that goal.

Things got chippier between the two teams but the second frame ended without another goal or penalty from either side. 

Through two periods, The Fuel were outshooting the Nailers, 24-15. 

3RD PERIOD

The beginning of the third period moved quickly with lots of back-and-forth and chances for both teams. There were long stretches of time with no whistles, allowing for time to tick down on the Fuel who needed to keep offensive momentum. 

Ultimately, Wheeling struck next with a goal by Jackson, his second of the game at 13:57 to put the Nailers up, 4-2. 

With about three minutes to go in regulation, the Fuel pulled Gaudreau from goal in favor of the extra skater but at 17:30, Houde scored for Wheeling to make it 5-2. 

At 18:14, Wheeling took a too many men call that Beck served, leaving Indy with a two-man advantage as they kept Gaudreau on the bench to finish regulation. 

However, they were not able to score again to mount a comeback. Indy fell to the Nailers, 5-2 despite outshooting them 32-19.

ABOUT THE INDY FUEL:

The Indy Fuel are the proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs. The Fuel will host their first home game of the 2024-25 season on December 6, 2024 against the Iowa Heartlanders. Information and tickets can be found HERE. 

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