Four fights and four unanswered goals highlighted the Cyclones 5-2 win over the Indy Fuel Saturday night at Heritage Bank Center.
The Cyclones swept a weekend set of games against Indy and are now 7-0-0-1 to begin the 2022-23 season. Since returning to the ECHL in 2006, this is the first time the Cyclones have began a season with points in eight straight games. Newfoundland is the only other team in the league that has yet to lose in regulation this season.
- It didn't take long for Indy and Cincinnati to intensify their rivalry in this game. Just 1:43 in, Sean Allen and Indy's Chris Cameron dropped the gloves at the center of the ice for a scrap. That was followed less than two minutes later by Brandon Yeamans challenging Andrew Perrott of the Fuel.
- After the fights, the Fuel jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal from Jake Pour 5:07 into the contest, then scored again midway through the period on a tally from Chris Van Os-Shaw, who slammed a shot from the doorstep of the net by Cincinnati's Mark Sinclair.
- In-between the Fuel goals came a friendly bounce for Justin Vaive, resulting in the captain's sixth goal of the season. Vaive drove down the right wing, throwing a puck toward the net that was stolen by Indy, but a faulty pass hit off the back of a Fuel defenseman and bounced over the shoulders of Zach Driscoll and into the net.
- Vaive found the back of the net again during the second period, beginning the stretch of four unanswered Cyclones' goals. The captain banged home a power play goal standing atop the crease, making it 2-2 over five minutes into the period.
- At 7:12 of the second, Yeamans dropped his gloves again, this time battling Andrew Bellant. The two middleweights threw a flurry of hard punches, forcing both to the ice simultaneously. Vaive also fought later in the period, pulling Pour around the Fuel bench for a series of right hands and uppercuts.
- Louie Caporusso earned the game-winning-goal 9:35 into the second period when he shuffled a puck from the right circle past Driscoll to make it 3-2. Caporusso finished the night with a season high-four point game, collecting a goal and three assists.
- An insurance goal was scored in the third by Lincoln Griffin, who redirected a puck that was spun to him from the wall by Lee Lapid. Indy challenged the goal, but the call stood, making it 4-2 at the 8:46 mark of period three. Griffin also potted an assist late in the game, sliding a puck to Patrick Polino for an empty netter.
- The Cyclones registered a season high-40 shots on goal, while giving up a season best-17 shots. Sinclair improved to 3-0 on the year with a 15-save performance.
- Game three of five on this homestand comes Wednesday night for the Cyclones as the Allen Americans visit The Queen City. Allen will be the first opponent the Cyclones face from outside the Central Division.
