INDIANAPOLIS – In the sixth of nine head-to-head meetings between the two teams this season, the Indy Fuel were defeated by the Cincinnati Cyclones on Friday at Indiana Farmers Coliseum by a final score of 4-1. With the loss, the Fuel fell to 6-20-3-3 overall this season and with 18 points, remain alone in seventh place in the ECHL’s North Division standings.
In the first period, Cincinnati defenseman Chris Reed tallied the frame’s lone goal, a right-point wrister that buzzed over Indy goaltender Shane Owen’s left shoulder for Reed’s fifth tally of the season, an even-strength score at 6:39 that delivered the Cyclones a 1-0 lead entering the middle stanza.
In the second, the ‘Clones pushed their lead to 2-0, courtesy of a shorthanded tally by Geoff Irwin at 4:41, the Cincinnati winger’s fifth of the season, assisted by Brian Nugent and Shayne Taker.
In his first game as a member of the Fuel, veteran Swedish forward Nicklas Lindberg cut the Cincinnati lead to 2-1 just 37 seconds into the third period with Robert Czarnik collecting the lone assist on the play, but Cyclones forward David Pacan pushed the Cincy advantage back to two goals at 3:27 of the frame to make it 3-1 Cyclones. A final-minute empty-net goal by Irwin, his second shorthanded tally of the game, established the Cyclones’ final margin of victory at 4-1.
Owen was solid in his first appearance for the Fuel, providing a 22-save performance in net for Indy on 25 pucks faced while Cincinnati goaltender Sam Brittain earned the win by virtue of a 27-save showing on 28 Fuel shots faced.
With Indy Fuel game report
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