Fuel's Late Season Surge Continues
April 5, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Indy Fuel News Release
INDIANAPOLIS - Ignited by a three-goal second period inferno and a three goal night from right wing Nick Bligh, the Indy Fuel ran their undefeated streak to 6-consecutive games in a 6-3 victory over the Quad City Mallards Tuesday night at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
In defeating the playoff-bound Mallards for a second consecutive time at home and extending their home ice unblemished skein to 4-in a row, the Fuel shattered a 1-1 deadlock with those three second period strikes, stoked by Josh Shalla's 32nd goal and crowned by Bligh's first 2-goals. The Dartmouth College first year pro's second of his 3-goals was the game winning goal for the Indy club.
Left wing Alex Wideman had staked the Fuel to an immediate 1-0 first period lead when he connected on his 21st goal of the season at the :10 mark, moments after the game's opening face-off. It was Indy's fastest goal at the start of the game and at the start of a period in team history.
After Quad City had reduced the Fuel lead to 4-3 with a pair of consecutive goals, Bligh went to work, again, completing his first-ever pro "hat trick" in period three before Jake Marchment found the empty net at 19:55 of the final frame of the game to clinch the conquest.
Two recent newcomers to the Fuel lineup authored their first points as pros as center Fillip Rydstrom engineered 2-assists and left wing Austin Hervey assisted once. Left wing Matt Rupert continued his late scoring scourge with 2-more assists
Goaltender Jake Hildebrand posted the victory in the Fuel goal, brushing aside 32-shots. In the process, Hildebrand advanced his record to 6(4-1-1) in his last 6-starts and 8(5-2-1) in his last 8-dates.
The Fuel late season surge has been nothing short of remarkable as they are not only unbeaten in their last half-dozen decisions, but also, they are 8(6-1-1) in their last 8-games and 13(8-3-2) in their last 13-outings. Offensively, the Fuel have become a high-tech, high-octane juggernaut, having scored 55-goals during those last 13-games.
Indy will close its third ECHL season this weekend with a pair of games in the form of a home-and-home series against league-leading Toledo. It's the home finale on "Fan Appreciation Night" Friday night at 7:35pm and the 72nd and final game of the season Saturday night in the Ohio city at 7:15 pm.
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