TOLEDO, Ohio — The Indy Fuel opened the Kelly Cup playoffs Thursday night in Toledo with a high-intensity matchup against the Walleye, ultimately falling 6-3 in Game 1 of the Central Division Semifinals.

Toledo jumped out to an early lead, capitalizing on special teams opportunities. Trenton Bliss struck first with a shorthanded goal just 3:30 into the game, followed by a power play tally from Brandon Hawkins to make it 2-0. Despite some pushback from the Fuel, Walleye goaltender Jan Bednar held firm, and Toledo carried a one-goal edge in shots after the first period.

Indy’s Owen Robinson netted the Fuel’s first goal of this postseason early in the second, but Toledo answered quickly. Goals from Jalen Smereck and Sam Craggs extended the Walleye lead to 4-1. Bryan Lemos responded for Indy to keep the game within reach, but Craggs notched his second of the night to make it 5-2. The Fuel killed off a two-man disadvantage late in the period but couldn’t close the gap before the intermission.

Colin Swoyer added a sixth goal for Toledo early in the third. Jarrett Lee tallied a late goal for Indy on a redirection to bring the score to 6-3, but the Fuel couldn’t mount a comeback. The final minutes turned chippy, with several penalties handed out after a series of scrums and hits.

Toledo finished the night with a 30-27 edge in shots. The teams will square off again Friday night at 7:15 p.m. in Toledo for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series.