Fuel Edge Cyclones In Hard-Fought Struggle On The Road

The Cincinnati Cyclones held their Cyclones Fight Cancer Matinee Game Saturday afternoon at Heritage Bank Center but fell to the Indy Fuel 2-1.

It was a tightly-contested affair, but the Fuel proved to be too much for Cincy, who dropped their record to 22-27-10. Kevin Lombardi recorded the game winner for Indy, who improves to 24-26-8.

Both teams had power-play opportunities in the opening period, but neither could capitalize. Cyclones forward Kyle Bollers broke the tie at the 16:52 mark of the opening period.

After a face-off win by Bollers in the Cyclones offensive zone, the puck bounced around in the slot. Forward Chris Dodero was able to get a stick on the puck and get it back to Bollers, who scored with 3:08 remaining in the first period.

It was Bollers’ 10th goal of the season. He now has points in back-to-back games. With his assist on Cincinnati’s lone goal, Dodero now has six points in his last seven games (4g, 2a).

Indy knotted the score at 1-1 with a goal from forward Darby Llewellyn. The Fuel gained possession of the puck and Llewellyn scored with 13:45 left to play in the second period. Lucas Brenton earned an assist on Llewellyn’s seventh goal of the season as the game remained tied heading into the final period.

In a back-and-forth defensive struggle during the third, Lombardi scored on a rebound in the crease that gave Indy the lead with 2:09 left. Lombardi’s 14th of the season would stand as the game-winning goal and a 2-1 victory for Indy.

Ben Gaudreau saved 20 of 21 shots for a hard-fought win. Vyacheslav Peksa stopped 20 of 22 shots to earn the tough loss.

Indy will be at home Sunday afternoon to host the Fort Wayne Komets for Agriculture Day. Puck drop is set for 4 Pm ET.

The Cyclones will be on the road against the Wheeling Nailers at WesBanco Arena on Sunday afternoon. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:10 Pm ET.