INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In their final game of a three game week, the Indy Fuel hosted the Jacksonville Icemen for their only meeting of the season. The Icemen would get on the board early in the first period only for both teams to trade goals throughout. Jacksonville’s Brandon Gignac would score the game-winning goal with 10 seconds remaining to send indy home with a 3-2 loss.
Getting on the board at the 30-second mark, Jacksonville’s Abbott Girduckis jumped on a loose puck in front of the Fuel net and tucked it past Indy goaltender Dan Bakala. After both teams traded chances Indy finally got on the board on the power play when Willie Raskob fired a wrist shot past Jacksonville goaltender Charles Williams. Jacksonville responded less than a minute later when Ryker Killins beat a screened Bakala with a wrist shot from the point.
Earning back-to-back power plays to start the second period, Indy outshot the Icemen 6-0 through the first 10 minutes. Picking up a power play of their own, Jacksonville threw shots on Bakala but would be denied. Neither team would be able to put the puck in the net through the middle 20 minutes, sending Indy into the locker room down 2-1.
The Fuel defended against a barrage of Jacksonville shots to start the third but Bakala kept them at bay. Indy tied the game when Nick Hutchison fed a streaking Spencer Watson and he tapped the puck past Williams to knot the score at two. It looked as if the teams were going to overtime but Jacksonville’s Gignac jumped on an Indy turnover and streak down the sideboards before he beat Bakala with a wrist shot with 10 seconds remaining in the game. Indy was unable to score in the remaining seconds eventually falling 3-2.
Indy returns to the ice on Wednesday when the South Carolina Stingrays visit the Indiana Farmers Coliseum at 7:05 p.m.
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