INDIANAPOLIS, Ind – It is extremely difficult to gain ground when the top two teams in the entire ECHL call your division “home” as well. That’s exactly the predicament the Indy Fuel faced as they tried to climb out of the North Division cellar last week. However, the battles were against incredibly strong opponents that took advantage of their position and reaffirmed why they are the class of the league.
On Wednesday, the Fuel traveled to Fort Wayne to challenge the powerful Komets, who happen to be their arch-nemesis and ECHL front-runner. Michael Embach and Garrett 
Meurs struck first for the Komets in the opening period as Fort Wayne raced to a 2-0 lead. Neither team was able to gain ground in the middle session. Despite Indy goals from Dan Ford and Nick Bruneteau, Fort Wayne was able to counter with a pair of tallies from Thomas Frazee that made the score 4-2 going into the final stanza. Matthew Pistilli pushed the Komets back to a three-goal lead before Robert Czarnik ripped his team-leading 17th of the season to close the gap for the Fuel. The game was closed out at 6-3 in favor of Fort Wayne when Eric Faille scored an empty-netter with less than two minutes remaining. Pat Nagle was victorious in the net for the Komets while Mac Carruth took the loss for Indy.
Next up was a home game on Friday, at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,128 against the team with the second-best record overall in the ECHL, the Toledo Walleye. After an inspired effort for the majority of period one by Indy, the Walleye used the last three minutes of that period together with the first three minutes of the second act to dump six goals on the Fuel and, in essence, put the game on ice. Shane Sims, Kyle Rogers and Shane Berschbach all netted for Toledo in the opener to put the visitors up 3-0. Garrett Bembridge scored quickly in the second to cut the Walleye lead down to two before Toledo exploded for three more to chase goalie Cody Reichard with over half of the contest remaining. Kevin Clare picked up one while Anthony Luciani racked up a deuce in the onslaught. Mac Carruth came in to finish the game in the net for the Fuel but Joel Chouinard notched another pair for the Walleye to send Toledo to an 8-1 triumph and allow them to keep pace with Fort Wayne in the standings. Goalie Jeff Lerg had 24 saves in the Walleye win.
The Fuel closed out the week on Saturday, with another contest at Indiana Farmers Coliseum, in a showdown with the Reading Royals. 5,227 hockey fans witnessed a hard-fought period one that saw the Royals skate out to the lead when Michael Caruso shot one high that sailed past Mac Carruth at the midway mark. Garrett Bembridge managed to even things up early on in the second frame for the Fuel before a last-minute power play goal by Sean Wiles allowed Reading to regain the lead heading into the final twenty. Bryant Molle capitalized on an empty-netter with seconds remaining in the game to seal the decision for the Royals, 3-1. Martin Ouelette was outstanding with 28 saves for the travelling Royals.
The Indy Fuel dropped to 6-19-3-3 (18 pts.) which is last place in the North and the worst overall record in the ECHL. They will get a much needed break in the action before a full slate of games over the upcoming weekend. Friday, Jan. 9 at 7:35pm, finds the Fuel at home to take on the Cincinnati Cyclones on Healthy Kids Night. The team then hits the road on Saturday, Jan. 10, to square off against the Toledo Walleye at 7:15pm. They finish up the week on Sunday, Jan. 11, with a 4:05 confrontation in Wheeling versus the Nailers.
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