INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Fuel hosted the Fort Wayne Komets in the final regular season home game this year. Despite the playoffs already being set, this cross-state rivalry was in full swing in their first match of the weekend. The Fuel ultimately won 2-1 with a shorthanded goal by Seamus Malone.
The first period saw a lot of back and forth action with quite a few checks, as most games between the cross-state rivals do. It was Fort Wayne who headed to the penalty box first though. Daniel Maggio was called for high-sticking at 7:55.
While that penalty was killed off, Fort Wayne took another for too many men at 12:07. It was the Komets who had a series of shorthanded opportunities however, but Mitchell Weeks made some highlight reel worthy saves in net.
At 16:07, Fort Wayne’s Oliver Cooper sat for tripping giving the Fuel their third consecutive power play opportunity of the period. The Komets were able to kill it off and that is how the period ended.
Fort Wayne opened the second period with another penalty, this time a roughing call was given to Shawn Boudrias after attempting to fight Indy’s Koletrane Wilson just 31 seconds into the frame.
They followed it up with their fifth consecutive penalty at 4:51 with a slashing call on Joe Masonius.
About eight minutes into the period, the Komets appeared to have scored but the play was called dead due to offsides and the score remained 0-0.
At 9:49, Matt Watson took the Fuel’s first penalty of the game for holding. With just five seconds left on the power play, Fort Wayne’s William Provost scored to make it 1-0 Komets.
With one more penalty each in the final minutes of the period, the Fuel laid on the shots heavily but could not tie it up before time expired.
As expected, the third period quickly got chippy with Chase Lang taking an interference penalty at 3:13. Seamus Malone got a breakaway while shorthanded and scored to tie the game up with the help of Wilson.
This was Malone’s 22nd goal and his fourth shorthanded goal of the season matching the franchise single season record that he has achieved once before. It also was his eighth shorthanded goal while with the Fuel, setting a new franchise record.
Soon after the goal, a fight broke out resulting in 26 penalty minutes being handed out at 6:35 of the frame. While on the power play, Logan Nijhoff scored to give the Fuel their first lead of the game. Alex Wideman and Bryan Lemos both claimed assists on the goal.
Things remained chippy between the two teams as the Fuel tried to keep hold of their lead resulting in a bench minor issued to Indy that Kyle Maksimovich served for the final 45 seconds of the period.
With a final attempt at a shorthanded empty net goal the Fuel claimed the 2-1 win before heading to Fort Wayne to play the Komets again tomorrow night.
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