CINCINNATI, OH – The formula that led the Indy Fuel to a victory in their home opener worked just as well on the road, as the Fuel (2-0-0-0) completed an opening-weekend sweep of the Cincinnati Cyclones (0-2-0-0) with a 2-1 win Saturday night at U.S. Bank Arena. Just like on Friday in Indianapolis, it was a stellar goaltending performance from Jake Hildebrand and opportunistic scoring from Indy’s top offensive unit that paved the way to a Fuel triumph.
A 23-save effort from Hildebrand and goals from Tyler Currier and Alex Wideman helped spoil the opening night festivities for the 5,463 Cincinnati fans in attendance. A third-period goal from Cyclones forward Dominic Zombo brought the home team to within a goal late in the game, but for most of the night Indy controlled the pace of action with a smothering, puck-possession game. The victory was the second straight for the Fuel’s rookie netminder, who stopped 56 of 58 Cincinnati shots over the weekend doubleheader.
In stark contrast to a wide-open, four-goal first period on Friday, Indy and Cincinnati played each other tight in the opening frame Saturday. Just when it looked as if the two clubs were going to head into the first intermission scoreless, the Fuel grabbed a 1-0 lead when Currier finished off a shorthanded rush. With Matt Rupert off for slashing, Kevin Lynch broke in on a 2-on-1 rush from the neutral zone with Currier, setting his linemate up with a perfectly-timed net mouth pass. The Anchorage, Alaska native’s first goal in an Indy uniform came after a two-assist performance Friday.
The Fuel doubled the lead at 11:36 of the second period when Wideman buried his third goal of the season, with some help from the opposition. After retrieving a loose puck generated by a strong forecheck from Lynch, Wideman stepped from behind the net and flung a pass out front, which caromed off a Cyclones defender and behind goaltender Mark Visentin. In two games, Indy’s top line of Wideman, Lynch and Currier have combined for four goals, three assists and a +11 rating.
Zombo’s rebound goal at 14:39 of the third period was the only blemish on another brilliant outing by Hildebrand, who made timely stops in all three periods to keep Cincinnati at bay. Visentin stopped 19 of 21 Fuel shots, falling to 0-2-0 on the campaign.
Both teams finished the evening 0-for-3 with the power play.
Indy continues a three-game road swing next weekend when they head south to take on the Tulsa Oilers on Friday, Oct. 21, followed by a meeting with the Missouri Mavericks on Saturday. The Fuel return home on October 28 when the Oilers make their first visit of 2016-17 to Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Follow us on Twitter @prohockeynews
You must be logged in to post a comment.