INDIANAPOLIS – Daniel Ciampini and Cody Sharib scored goals just 52 seconds apart early in the first period as the Fuel downed the Quad City Mallards by a 2-1 count at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Friday night.
The win, coupled with a Cincinnati Cyclones loss to the Fort Wayne Komets, means the Fuel are now in third place in the Midwest division with 40 points and just one point behind the Mallards with tomorrow night’s rematch looming here in Indiana.
Ciampini got the scoring going just 2:22 into the game when Adam Lapsansky set him up for his fourth of the season to make it 1-0 Fuel.
Fifty-two seconds after that goal, Sharib had the rebound from a Ben Marshall point shot kicked straight to his stick off the left pad of goaltender Brody Hoffman (35 saves) and converted for his 10th goal of the season, the eventual game-winner.
In the second period the Mallards took advantage of a giveaway in the Fuel end that allowed Jared Knight to score an unassisted marker and make it a 2-1 game.
Despite pulling Hoffman late in the contest, Mac Carruth (29 saves) and his Fuel teammates held on for the win.
The Fuel will now host the Mallards again on Saturday night at 7:35 pm, followed by a Sunday matinee visit from the Fort Wayne Komets at 3:05 pm. The Morellis Cleaners Pre-game Show starts 15 minutes before every puck drop on CBS Sports 1430.
PP: IND 0-for-4 QC 0-for-4
Three Stars:
Cody Sharib (1-0-1, +1, 2 shots, GWG)
Daniel Ciampini (1-0-1, +1, 1 shot)
Ben Marshall (0-1-1, +2, 7 shots)
Notes:
Sharib is the first rookie to reach double-digit goals for the Fuel this season, and his 10 goals puts him one behind Garett Bembridge for the team lead at 11.
Ben Marshall now has 23 points and is the highest-scoring active rookie defenseman in the ECHL.
Mac Carruth improved to 7-3 in his last 10 decisions and has allowed two-or-fewer goals in each of those games.
Saturday night is the last time the Fuel and Mallards play this season at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The final two games of the 10-game series will come back at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL.
The Fuel now sit 5-1-1-0 on the season series vs. QC.
Single-game tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster or at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum box office, while a variety of different ticket plans and group specials are available by calling (317) 925-FUEL or visiting IndyFuelHockey.com. Don’t miss out on anything from the Fuel in 2015-16, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@IndyFuel) and don’t forget to ‘Like’ the Fuel on Facebook.
With Indy Fuel release