Fort Wayne struck first when Nolan Volcan found the back of the net at 5:54, giving the Komets an early 1-0 lead.
Indy responded late in the period when Brett Bulmer scored right in front of the net at 18:03, assisted by Nathan Burke, tying the game at 1-1. However, the Komets quickly reclaimed the lead just 30 seconds later with a goal from Brandon McManus.
Despite trailing 2-1, the Fuel outshot the Komets 11-10 in the opening frame, and neither team took a penalty.
The Komets extended their lead early in the second period when Alex Aleardi scored at 2:07 to make it 3-1.
At 11:08, Anthony Petruzzelli added another goal for the Komets, assisted by former Fuel forward Zach Jordan. Just three minutes later, Petruzzelli struck again, pushing the lead to 5-1.
Following that goal, the Fuel made a goaltending change, replacing Ben Gaudreau with Cam Gray. However, Fort Wayne continued to press, and McManus netted his second goal of the night at 15:59 to extend the lead to 6-1.
Indy’s Matus Spodniak took the game’s first penalty for tripping late in the period, but the Fuel successfully killed it off. By the end of the second, the Komets had built a commanding lead, outshooting Indy 27-22.
The Fuel had a power play opportunity early in the final frame after Petruzzelli was called for elbowing at 6:45. They capitalized at 8:18 when Nathan Burke scored with assists from Darby Llewellyn and Colin Bilek, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
However, Fort Wayne quickly responded, as Jack Dugan added another goal at 8:59 to put the game out of reach at 7-2.
Indy had another power play chance following a too many men penalty on the Komets at 10:43, but Fort Wayne successfully killed it off. Despite some late chances for the Fuel, neither team scored again as the Komets secured the 7-2 victory, outshooting Indy 34-31.
The Fuel will look to rebound as they return to the Fishers Event Center for back-to-back games with Iowa, Saturday at 7pm and a 4pm start time Sunday.