In front of a sold-out crowd of 6,647 fans at the Fishers Event Center, the Indy Fuel battled the Florida Everblades to a nail-biting finish, ultimately falling 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night. The matchup concluded a three-game series between the Fuel and the Everblades, with Indy securing one hard-earned point in the standings.
Indy came out firing, generating early offensive pressure against Florida. However, a penalty against Nick Grima at 15:15 for interference momentarily shifted momentum. The Fuel penalty kill stood tall, successfully neutralizing the Everblades’ power play.
Despite Indy’s strong start, Florida struck first. At 17:56, Dillon Hamaliuk found the back of the net, putting the Everblades ahead 1-0 as the first period came to a close.
Indy had its first power-play opportunity at 6:07 after a high-sticking minor by Florida’s Cole Moberg, but the Everblades’ killed that penalty. The Fuel remained persistent, and their efforts paid off when Lucas Brenton netted his first professional goal at 14:54, assisted by Bryan Lemos and Colin Bilek, tying the game at 1-1.
As the intensity ramped up, tempers flared between the two squads, though no additional penalties were called during the period. Florida’s Jordan Sambrook was assessed an interference penalty at the 20:00 mark, giving Indy a power play to start the third.
Through two periods, the Fuel held a slight edge in shots, outshooting Florida 16-13.
Both teams pushed the pace in search of the go-ahead goal, but stellar goaltending at both ends kept the game deadlocked. At 13:57, Carson Gicewicz broke through for the Everblades, reclaiming the lead at 2-1.
With just over two minutes left in regulation, Indy pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker, a gamble that paid off. Colin Bilek buried the equalizer, assisted by Lemos and Nathan Burke, at 18:32, forcing overtime.
The five-minute three-on-three overtime saw back-and-forth action, with Florida outshooting Indy 3-1, but neither team could find the game-winner, sending the contest to a shootout.
Indy sent Maksimovich, Bilek, and Burke to face Florida’s Cam Johnson in net, but all three were denied. Florida’s shootout trio consisted of Hargrove, Fizer, and Kile, with Kile breaking through in the final round to secure the 3-2 victory for the Everblades.
The Fuel travel to Cincinnati and take on the Cyclones for a 3pm Sunday contest. They return home Wednesday, February 19, facing the in-state rival Fort Wayne Komets.