INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In their third and final game of the week, the Fuel hosted the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday afternoon. The Fuel would score a goal in each period and see Diego Cuglietta score twice on their way to a 3-1 win over the Nailers.
Tasked with killing off a 5-on-3 early in the first period, Indy’s defense was back on their heels early. After killing off the long penalty, the Fuel got a power play of their own. Streaking down the sideboards, Mathew Thompson fed Michael Pelech a pass and he tapped it past Wheeling goaltender Alex D’Orio. The Fuel would kill off another 5-on-3 penalty and Dan Bakala would stop nine shots to send Indy into the locker room leading 1-0 after 20 minutes.
It would take just under five minutes for the Fuel to score their second goal of the game when Cuglietta buried a centering pass from Mathew Thompson. Indy’s Bakala would fight off 17 Wheeling shots through the remainder of the second period but would eventually hold on to send the Fuel into the locker room with a 2-0 lead.
Wheeling would be the first team to score in the third period when Patrick Watling threw a puck on net from the point and Michael Joly jumped on the rebound and put the puck past Bakala. Both teams would trade chances through the remainder of the final period but both goaltenders would weather the storm. Cuglietta would be given an automatic empty-net goal after a Wheeling defenseman threw their stick to try to stop Indy from scoring.
The Fuel will resume play on Wednesday night when they visit the Wichita Thunder.
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