INDIANAPOLIS, IN – An Indy Fuel two-goal third period rally fell just short Tuesday night on home ice at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum as their archrivals, the Fort Wayne Komets defeated the Fuel, 5-3.
For a second consecutive game, the Fuel fell behind, 3-0 with the Komets establishing such an advantage by the 4:30 mark of the second period. Bobby Shea (first period goal), Justin MacDonald and Mason Baptista were the marksmen for the visitors before the Fuel answered the call on Darian Dziurzynski’s ninth goal of the season and his eighth since his acquisition by Indy.
Entering the third period trailing, 3-1, the Fuel were momentarily stunned by a Dennis Kravchenko strike stoked early the stanza at 2:31. The Kravchenko goal restored the victors 3-goal bulge at 4-1 before the Fuel battled back to make matters rather uncomfortable for their Indiana rivals.
At 3:41, seventy-seconds later, Indy responded with its first of 2-goals; this one from Josh Shalla who fired his eighth in eight games and his 14th goal in his last 11-games against the Fort Wayners. The Fuel narrowed the deficit again, this time to 4-3, when Johnny McInnis redirected a Stephen Collins point shot behind goaltender Garrett Bartus at the 14:26 mark on an Indy power play. However, the Fuel’s spirited comeback bid was derailed when Artur Tyanulin scored from the face-off circle 2:26 later at 16:52 to cement the triumph for the Komets.
Fort Wayne outshot the Fuel, 41-33 while the Fuel power play continued to percolate, going 1-2; the Komets were blanked with the extra man going 0-3. Goaltender “ET” Marcoux, making his 12th straight start, was saddled with the loss for Indy which has dropped all four of its home games this season against the Komets.
For the Fuel, Dziurzynski and Shalla each registered (1-1-2) as Indy sustained its second consecutive defeat following their second three game winning streak of the season.
The Fuel play their next 4-games on the road beginning Friday night when they make their first trip to Cincinnati this season to be hosted by the Cyclones in a 7:35 p.m. face-off. Then it’s on to Kalamazoo for a pair of games against the Kalamazoo Wings Saturday night at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.
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