Five unanswered third period goals helped the Indy Fuel rally past Cincinnati in a wild, frenetic game that ended with a 9-6 score Friday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
The Cyclones enter the final day of 2022 with a 16-5-3-2 record; good for 37 points. Indy has a two-point lead over the 'Clones for first place in the Central Division with 39 and a 19-8-1 record.
- Matt Berry (6) jumped on a puck 52 seconds into the game to beat Zach Driscoll in-between the legs, giving Cincinnati a quick 1-0 start on the road. The veteran forward was fed a cross-ice pass from Josh Burnside before burying the puck, giving Berry 10 points over his last nine games.
- Lee Lapid (5) doubled the Cyclones lead by sliding a puck under the left leg of Driscoll following a pass leading him into the net by Josh Passolt 6:42 into the first.
- The 'Clones didn't allow a shot on goal until nearly nine minutes into the game, but were then thrust into killing a double-minor penalty charged to Matt Cairns for high-sticking. Mark Sinclair stepped up, making 12 saves in the period, including seven during the four minute kill. The only shot beating him came from Keoni Texeira late in the first, after the defenseman's shot hit off a Cyclones stick on the way in to make it 2-1.
- A six-goal second period featured each team netting three goals, with Indy taking a brief 4-3 lead with 5:49 to play in the second. After Matt Cairns (1) gave the 'Clones a 3-2 lead, Indy struck for back-to-back power play goals from Spencer Watson and Seamus Malone for the 4-3 advantage.
- Cincinnati prevented their deficit from lasting long, as Zack Andrusiak buried his eighth of the season to tie the game after trailing for only 1:31.
- Three minutes later, Zach Berzolla scored his first goal as a Cyclone on a breakaway, where he elevated the puck over Driscoll's shoulders to get the Cyclones back on top, 5-4.
- Louie Caporusso (11) inflated the Cyclones lead to 6-4 just over two minutes into the third, slamming a one-timer from the right circle past Driscoll.
- Indy rallied quick, striking three times in a 2:31 span, getting goals from Chad Yetman, Bryan Lemos, and Malone once again, giving the Fuel an all-of-a-sudden 7-6 advantage just 5:40 into the third.
- The Fuel struck on another power play midway through the period as Lemos scored his second of the period, sniping from the left circle to beat Sinclair. Malone would add an empty net goal with 24 seconds left, converting on his first career hat trick and lifting the Fuel to a 9-6 come-from-behind win.
- Driscoll made 22 saves for the victory, while Mark Sinclair stopped 26 shots.
- The loss snapped a 70-game streak where the Cyclones earned at least one standings point when leading after two periods. The team had gone 66-0-3-1 since April 2019 in such situations.
- The Cyclones conclude the 2022 portion of their schedule with a New Year's Eve matchup back at Heritage Bank Center Saturday night against Toledo.
