INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Playing their first game out of three this week, the Fuel hosted their I-69 rival Fort Wayne Komets on Wednesday night. Indy went into the third period leading 3-2 thanks to goals from Matt Marcinew, Michael Pelech and Jared Thomas but it wouldn’t be enough after the Komets came back in the third to defeat Indy 6-3.
After the teams traded shots throughout the first half of the period, the Fuel eventually took a 1-0 lead when Marcinew got alone behind the Komets defense and beat Dylan Ferguson through the five-hole. Responding almost immediately while on the power play, Fort Wayne’s Brandon Hawkins walked down the side and beat Dan Bakala over the glove with a wrist shot.
The Komets were the first team to get on the board in the second period when Brandon Hawkins jumped on a rebound and put the puck past Bakala. The Fuel responded 23 seconds later when Pelech buried a rebound on Ferguson to make it 2-2. Picking up a Fort Wayne turnover in the neutral zone, Indy’s Thomas gave the Fuel the 3-2 lead heading into the locker room when he put the puck over the shoulder of Dylan Ferguson.
The Komets controlled the majority of play through the first six minutes of the game, outshooting the Fuel 7-0. Scoring his third goal of the game, Hawkins streaked past the Indy defense and fire the puck over the shoulder of Bakala to tie the game 3-3.
The Komets took the lead 1:17 later when Morgan Adams-Moisan fired a wrist shot past Bakala on an odd-man rush. Late in the game, Hawkins stepped off the boards and beat Bakala with a quick wrist shot to give the Komets a 5-3 lead. Anthony Nellis put home an empty netter to make the score 6-3 and send the Komets home with the win.
The Fuel will look to bounce back on Friday when they host the Wheeling Nailers on Friday night. Visiting the Coliseum for the first time this year, the Jacksonville Icemen will take on the Fuel on Saturday night in their only matchup of the season.
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