Fuel competition painter on goal Ortiz OT

WHEELING, WV – The Wheeling Nailers found themselves in their third straight one-goal game against their same division, when they faced Indy Fuel on Sunday afternoon at the WesBanco Arena. Chris Ortiz scored the second goal of the game in the 4:11 minute mark to lift the Nailers to a 3-2 victory, as they extended their streak to six games and earned five of six points at the weekend. Nick Hutchison also extended his individual streak to the top 12 in the league.

Both teams lit up in the opening half, and goals were separated by 49 seconds. Indy struck first as the sides were playing 4v4. Jared Thomas’ shot on the way was blocked, but the shot later went straight into the position of Cédric Lacroix, who had a shot in the box. shot from the right. The Nailers counter-attacked well, as they hit the net with difficulty. Tim Doherty throws the puck in that direction, and Félix Paré rushes in to claim the lanyard as a reward.

Neither team could break through in the second half, when Wheeling saved the visitors’ 11-5 shot advantage.

Early in the third period, the Nailers took the lead. Hutchison found Ortiz, who stepped up to the right circle and made a shot to the left of the net. With less than two minutes left, the Fuel was even and forced to work overtime with netminder pulled. Liam Folkes gets a Lacroix pass from the center of gravity right and goes into goal.

The extra is Wheeling, who has the best chance of finishing the competition. In the end, on their seventh shot at 4:11, the Nailers won. Hutchison made a perfect pass through the slot to Ortiz, who headed home the second goal of the game from the right, making it 3-2 on aggregate.

Stefanos Lekkas saved his best at last, as he secured the win by saving 32 of the 34 shots he has faced, after starting all three games this weekend. Tom Aubrun lost overtime for Indy, as he made 29 saves on 32 shots.

The Nailers will be filled by the Cincinnati Cyclones over the next week, as the two divisions’ opponents will play three times over a five-day period. The first clash will be in Cincinnati on Wednesday at 7:35pm, before a rematch in Wheeling on Saturday at 7:10pm

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