FUEL SELL OUT SUNDAY, FALL TO WICHITA 5-4

FISHERS- The Fuel hosted the Wichita Thunder for the second day in a row on Sunday for Bluey Day. In front of the first sold out Sunday crowd in franchise history, Indy took an early lead but ultimately fell 5-4 to Wichita.

1ST PERIOD

Fuel newcomer Jesse Tucker opened the scoring at 2:40 to make it 1-0. Tucker now has two goals in three games with the Fuel, after scoring yesterday. Victor Hadfield and Jordan Martin claimed both assists on that goal.

Kevin Lynch added to the Fuel’s lead with a goal at 3:29, extending his point streak to four games this season. Ty Farmer and Nathan Burke each had an assist on that goal.

Things got a bit chippy early between these two teams who collected thirty penalty minutes in yesterday’s game against each other. 

At 5:20, Indy’s Victor Hadfield and Wichita’s Michal Stinil took offsetting slashing penalties but neither team scored in two minutes. 

Stinil scored for Wichita at 9:19 to make it 2-1 before another small scuffle broke out along the boards between both teams. 

At 11:42, Lucas Brenton took an interference penalty to give the Thunder the first power play of the game but the Fuel killed it off. 

Indy’s Nick Grima took the game’s next penalty at 16:35 for interference. The Fuel killed it off. 

At the end of the first period, Indy was outshooting Wichita 14-12. 

2ND PERIOD

At 5:45, Wichita’s Arten Guryev scored off a rebound to tie the game 2-2. 

About a minute later, the Fuel began a lengthy delayed penalty power play until the whistle blew on a hooking call on Stinil at 7:31. Wichita ultimately killed it off.

At 11:04, Indy’s Kale Howarth and Wichita’s Jay Dickman each took two minutes for roughing after an altercation in front of the Fuel’s net. Howarth took an additional ten minute misconduct for continuing the altercation.

Dominick Dockery scored a shorthanded goal at 13:58 to give Wichita a 3-2 lead, their first of the series. 

Chris Cameron and Wichita’s Dillon Bouchard dropped the gloves at 16:08 and each earned five minutes for fighting near the end of the period. 

With 2:07 to go in the second period, Brenton headed to the box for tripping along with Stinil who was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at the same time.

Neither team scored again before time expired in the second frame, with the Thunder up 3-2 while being outshot by Indy 27-23.

3RD PERIOD

Kyle Maksimovich tied the game up for the Fuel at 2:37, 3-3, with the help of Hadfield and Lemos. 

At 3:57, Farmer took a holding penalty which put the Thunder back on the power play. They immediately capitalized with a goal by Peter Bates to make it 4-3 in favor of Wichita.

Stinil headed back to the box at 6:26 to serve a too many men bench minor on Wichita. Less than ten seconds later, Indy capitalized with a power play goal by Nathan Burke to tie the game again, this time 4-4. Bilek and Maksimovich had the assists on that goal.

At 12:56, Nico Somerville took a slashing penalty but the Thunder killed it off just before they went to the power play on an embellishment call against Kevin Lynch. 

Kobe Walker scored on the power play for Wichita to put them up 5-4 late in the third period. 

With just under a minute to go, the Fuel pulled Ben Gaudreau from goal in favor of the extra skater but could not score before time expired. 

Ultimately, the Fuel fell 5-4 to Wichita while outshooting them 36-35.

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 are now playing at the new Fishers Event Center. Information and tickets can be found HERE. 

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--INDYFUELHOCKEY.COM--