A good fight and a shootout provided fans with an entertaining night in Wheeling.
Who needs Mike Tyson-Jake Paul when you have Christopher Cameron-Matthew Quercia?
Even if you bought a ticket to Friday’s Indy Fuel vs. Nailers game in Wheeling, you got a bargain: an intense hockey game with a good bout thrown in.
As for the game, the Nailers got the win 2-1 in a shootout to give them a six-game point streak and put them in a first-place tie in the North Division with a 7-3-1 record.
Jack Beck delivered the deciding goal on Wheeling's second shot, while Nailers netminder Sergei Murashov was perfect on his three attempts in goal.
Cameron made his presence felt before the fans had barely settled in their seats. The Indy captain scored the first goal of the game just 19 seconds in to put his team on top.
It would be the Fuel's only goal, but the fist fireworks started not long after.
Cameron and Quercia are no strangers to taking the gloves off against one another. The two fought during a Nov. 29 game last season, then took the gloves off again on January 13, 2024.
Cameron was involved in another skirmish with the Nailers’ Raivis Ansons Nov. 17, a game Indy would win 4-1 on Survivor Night, ironically enough.
On Friday, Quercia proved he could score and fight, too. His one-timer from the left faceoff dot in the second period tied the game 1-1, where it would remain through overtime before Wheeling would prevail in the shootout.
Needless to say, these teams play with plenty of intensity. The last meeting between them occurred April 24, when the Nailers ousted Indy from the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Fuel went 8-2-1 in their 11 meetings in 2023-24.
The teams will meet five more times this season, including Saturday night at WesBanco Arena.