Earlier today, the ECHL Department of Player Safety announced several fines and suspensions stemming from the intense matchup between the Indy Fuel and Fort Wayne Komets on Sunday. The 3-1 Indy win was marked by a flurry of late-game chaos, which saw players from both teams facing disciplinary actions due to a series of fights in the final minute.
The drama began with just 41 seconds left in regulation when Lucas Brenton of Indy squared off against Fort Wayne’s Anthony Petruzzelli. Following their fight, Brenton took extra time to disengage and inadvertently struck a game official in the face with his glove. As the final horn sounded, tempers flared once more, leading to a massive brawl involving players like Burke, Hausinger, Brady, Dugan, and Fort Wayne goalie Brett Brochu. In a moment of heated exchange, Brochu even took a swing at Indy’s goaltender, Ben Gaudreau. Meanwhile, Deakin-Poot and Hausinger engaged in an extended battle, with Deakin-Poot gaining the upper hand, landing several punches before officials intervened.
As a result of their actions, the league handed a one-game suspension to Indy’s Lucas Brenton under Rule #46.22 for receiving a game misconduct as the aggressor in the last five minutes of play. This means he will miss the Fuel’s upcoming game against the Wheeling Nailers on Friday. Fort Wayne’s Jack Dugan also received a one-game suspension and a fine, as per Rule #28 – Supplementary Discipline, for his actions as the clock expired. Dugan will sit out Fort Wayne’s game against the Toledo Walleye on Friday.
Additionally, Indy’s Cam Hausinger and Nathan Burke, alongside Fort Wayne’s Nick Deakin-Poot and Darren Brady, will each be serving two-game suspensions due to their misconducts for fighting after the final buzzer. Hausinger and Burke will miss Indy’s games against Wheeling (Friday) and Kansas City (Saturday), while Brady and Deakin-Poot will be out for Fort Wayne’s games against Toledo on both Friday and Saturday.
To add to the fallout, both the Fort Wayne and Indy organizations have been fined an undisclosed amount for their teams’ conduct on Sunday. The post-game fighting left many fans speculating about what a potential playoff series between these two in-state rivals might look like. While things haven’t been quite as heated between these teams in recent seasons, it seems the battle of I-69 is back in business.
This matchup was the second most penalized game in the ECHL this season, with a staggering total of 168 PIM penalty minutes, 144 of which were taken in the final 41 seconds of regulation.
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